If I Only Had the Nerve
by Ichiko Wind Gryphon
Summary: Glinda failed her friend. She couldn't be strong for Elphaba. Now her friend was gone, and it's now up to her to do what she should have done so long ago. Post-Musical. Gloq, Gelphie-friendship. Ratings may change.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, I am starting a new story which, shockingly, has nothing to do with my "Dangerous Secrets" trilogy! (OMG, really?!?) Yeah, I know XD And unlike Cursed Blood, which was ridiculously long, I plan on this one being quite a bit shorter. (In case you were curious, I copied and pasted CB onto Word. Guess how many pages? 522. Yeah. That many. Holy crap!)**

**This story was done as a request by Julez Rox, one of my biggest fans! Love you!**

* * *

The room was luxuious and perfect for her needs. Everything was flowing with pinks of every shade, to the palest pinks decorating the hems of the satin curtains to the deep and almost red colored pinks painted on the ceiling. Everything was just the way she wanted it to be.

Well, save for the other half of the room. Galinda turned with disgust at her horribly ugly and disgustifying roomate. _Elphaba_. How she absolutely hated saying her name, such an ugly name for such an ugly person. That little green bean. She ruined everything. She couldn't believe she was forced to room with this-this freak, this monstrosity, this horrifyingly disgustifyingly--ugh! She simply could not think of a word to perfectly describe her absolute loathing of the person sitting on the other side of the room!

And if her hideoclious skin color wasn't enough, she had absolutely no sense of fashion whatsoever! She wore her incredibly ugly blue skirt and matching blue turtleneck with a similar blue jacket wrapped around her bony frame. The outfit was hideous beyond words. At thevery least, Galinda had to give her credit for the colors of her clothing articles to match. But ugh! That jacket was simply atrocious!

Galinda did her best to ignore her freak show roommate and pay attention to more important things--like her make-up. She gazed into her mirror and started to reapply her pink glossy lipstick. Slowly, she covered her lips with the wax-like substance, puckering her lips and making kissing noises at the mirror. She let out a loud giggle. She knew, and so did everyone else, that she was the prettiest girl on campus, heck, maybe in all of Oz! She gently fingered through her softly curling blond hair that jung just below her shoulders and admired her round chreub-like face. Deep dlue eyes looked back at her, with full, round lips, a very ute, upturned nose, and rosy cheeks. She was destined for royalty or nobility. No one could resist a face like this. She was drop-dead gorgeous and absolutel stunning. Everyone knew this, especially herself.

She continued to giggle with delight as she imagined marrying an equally handsome prince charming as she carefully put on her mascara and eyeshadow, being super-careful, just like mother showed her. Mother was so talented with make-up, and had taught her how to perfectly apply it tofit her needs. Right now, she was applying pink eye shadow with the barest touches of blue, suggesting innocence and naivety. Of course, Galinda knew this, but she knew how to play the boys. She knew what they wanted, and she knew she had each and every one of them playing at her fingertips. She continued to study herself in the mirror, and allowed another giggle to escape her lips. She was perfect.

Across the room, she could hear Elphaba huff angrily. "Do you mind? I'm trying to study. That little chipmunk giggle of yours is ridiculously annoying," she shot.

Galinda huffed angrily. "Excuse me, miss oversized asparagus, some of us like to take time into making ourselves a little more _presentable_, unlike _some_ people!" she shot back. "Some of us have more important things to do than bury our noses in a dusty old book!"

Elphaba didn't even look up from her book. "Well, that explains why your grades are so, how do you say it? Oh yes, _horrendifying_."

"The only thing _horrendifying_ here is yourself," Galinda said triumphantly, sure she had won the battle.

"Your grades beg to differ."

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Who's going to care about something as stupid and useless as _grades_ ten years from now?! Appearances are what really counts."

"Well, unlike appearances, smarts don't get ugly and wrinkly as you get older," Elphaba retorted, her tone one of mild amusement.

"Like you would understand, you ugly frog," Galinda muttered under her breath as she turned back to the mirror, perfecting her lipstick. Finally satisfied, Galinda grabbed her purse and walked out of her dorm room.

"Don't let the door hit your over-sized head on the way out," Elphaba called out to her.

Enfuriated, Galinda huffed and slammed the door shut. She could clearly hear Elphaba laughing to herself inside the room.

* * *

"Oh, it's absolutely horrible living with that disgusting grasshopper!" Galinda wailed to her friends. "I honestly don't know anyone can bear her presence! It's simply . . . _unbearable_!"

Shen-Shen and Pfanee looked at their good friend with genuine hurt and smpathy. "You should go to Madame Morribe! Tell her you can't stand her and make the frog leave!" Shen-Shen said.

"Yes! No one should be forced to endure such torture!" Pfanee piped up. "You can't just let this slide!"

"But I already went to Horrible Morrible several times and she simply dismissed me like it was nothing!" Galinda complained. "She said I should try to find a way to _cope_ with her." She shuddered, disgusted at the mere thought. "I don't know how anyone can cope with that freak!"

"Wait, she has a sister, doesn't she?" Pfanee said. "The one in the chair? Maybe you should ask her how she deals with the asparagus."

Galinda huffed. "I am not about to grovel down to that _little girl's_ level and ask her for advise. That's even _worse_! Honestly, me asking little miss cripple for help?! That is a disaster for my image just waiting to happen. I can't believe you would even suggest that!"

"Well, don't worry, Galinda, as long as you're with us, you'll never set eyes on the toad!" Shen-Shen said resolutely. "Now come on! Let us shop to take our mind off of things!"

Galinda suddenly perked up, all signs of distress vanishing in an instant. "Oh, wonderful idea! I know just the perfect spot! There's store not far from here having a sale on those cute new blouses! Come on, girls!"

* * *

"Elphie . . . ?" came Glinda's small voice from behind the heavy curtain. Her eyes were wide and glistening with tears threatening to spill. That horrible wail she had just heard rattled in her ears . . . haunting her . . . tormenting her . . .

No, Elphie can't die. Not like this. Not so soon.

She emerged from her hiding spot, meeting a grisly sight. A lone black hat stood out in the empty stone room. Elphaba's hat. Black smoke curled around it menacingly. Glinda gasped, the tears now flowing freely from her eyes.

"No . . . Elphie, oh sweet Oz, no!"

She crashed to her knees, picking up the hat and cradling it in her arms, sobbing without restraint. She was gone. Her friend was dead.

And it was all her fault. She had failed Elphie, she had let her down, she was the reason she was dead. It was her fault, and her fault alone.

Because Glinda wasn't strong, Elphie died. Glinda had stood back and watched from safety as the whole nation of Oz chased Elphaba, Glinda's only true friend, down, thirsting for her blood, rallying for her death. She should have been with Elphaba, should have run off with her.

But Glinda was a coward. And she knew it. She was a coward and she was weak.

Her thoughts drifted back to that one fateful day in the Wizard's Palace, that one fateful day they had met the Wizard, the day they discovered the truth.

_"Come with me, Glinda! Think of what we can do, together!" Elphaba said excitedly, holding out the enchanted broom. "Glinda, we can do anything! Our future will be whatever we want it to be! We can do so much, just you and I! Think about it! We can fight the Wizard! We can finally put things right! We'll defy gravity together! And they'll never be able to ground us!"_

_Glinda was scared. Elphaba's offer was so incredibly tempting. She wanted to join her, she wanted to fly with her best friend . . . _

_But she couldn't. She couldn't bear the thought of forever running, of_ fighting_, above everything else! No, Glinda couldn't do that. She couldn't live in a world of fear, of alays on the run and hiding. She wanted to be safe and far from harm. Even if "safe" was with a corrupt and cruel ruler. She couldn't find the strength or courage in herself to do what Elphaba could. She wasn't as strong as Elphaba._

_She shook her head. "I can't, Elphie, I just can't!"_

_Elphaba's expression instantly turned from excitement to deep disappointment, then to anger. "Glinda, do the right thing! We have to fight against the Wizard! You've seen what he does! He's killing off all the Animals and torturing those poor monkeys!"_

_"I can't," was Glinda's only response._

_Elphaba's expression turned more angry. "You just can't resist the urge to be the Wizard's little porcelin doll, can you?! You can't resist the temptation of having power and fame all in the name of corruption! You'd rather be all pretty and popular than do the right thing! Isn't that right?!" _

_"Not all of us can be as strong as you!!" Glinda finally shouted, breaking into loud sobs. "You don't get it! I want to join you! I want to fight, but I'm scared! I can't do it, Elphie! I just can't!"_

_Elphaba's expression softened, but only barely. "Then take my hand and let's go. If you want to fight, take my hand." She extended her thin, emerald hand to Glinda. _

_Glinda only shook her head, wiping away her tears. "I hope you're happy with your decision," she sniffled. She just couldn't make herself take Elphaba's hand._

_Elphaba's hand fell to her side. "I see," she said hollowly. "Well, then, I hope you're happy, too." Glinda detected the bitterness and anger in her words. And she was ashamed. Ashamed she couldn't be strong for her friend._

_And with that, Elphaba leapt on her broom and shot off into the sky. Outside, Glinda could hear the people yell and scream, pointing up to the green-skinned witch soaring above their head._

_"YOU'LL NEVER BRING ME DOWN!" Elphaba cried to the terrified citizens of Oz, cackling madly as she flew through the air. _

_"Go on then! Fight! Fight the Wizard!" Glinda cried before breaking down into sobs once more. "I hope you're happy . . ."_

Glinda couldn't be strong for her friend back then. But now, she had no choice. She was now the ruler of Oz. She was forced to be strong and brave for her entire country, she had to, there was no other way. She had to do what she should have done so very long ago.

She had to become strong, for Elphie. She will not let her friend die in vain.

* * *

**Review, plz!**


	2. Chapter 2

Glinda was back at the Emerald Palace, trying to decide what to do first on her incredibly long and seemingly endless list of things to do. Of course she needed to repeal the Animal Bans, but there were several other much more urgent matters that required her immediate attention. There was a sudden inflation in the prices of crops coming from Munchkinland, and this caused a serious reaction from the Vinkus, who in turned raised the prices on all of their precious stones and silver ore exports. And in turn, Gilikin raised the prices on all of their fabrics and clothings. It was a never ending tug-of-war between the four districts of Oz. She knew she had to gather the governors of each of the four districts and and reach some sort of agreement before things got out of control.

Next on her list was the depression. Oh yes, Oz was in quite a serious depression, something she didn't even know about until she had taken power. The Wizard did a fine job of hiding that from the public's eye.

She rubbed her eyes, calling one of the guards. "Could you request the presence of each of the four governors from the districts of Oz? I am requesting an immediate conference as soon as possible," she told him firmly.

"Yes, m'lady," he bowed, running off to send the message.

Glinda sighed, sitting herself back at her desk, carefully shuffling through the papers. Part of the reason why Munchkinland was raising all of their food prices was because there was a sudden drought, but even then, Glinda thought the increase was too much. She needed to speak with them.

* * *

The meeting took place in a small conference room in the Palace, large enough to accompany the four governors and Glinda herself. First to arrive was the governor of Gilikin, a large man with a balding head by the name of Garrem. He wore a crisp red suit and clean white gloves and took the seat on the far side of the room. Next to enter was the governor, really, the "Emperor" of the Vinkus, newly initiated into office for his heroic deed of vanquishing the Wicked Witch of the West. The Tin Man himself. He entered, his joints perfectly oiled and his tin body polished and shining like new. Garrem raised his eyebrow in surprise, and his large bushy brow arched even higher when he took the seat next to Garrem.

"Hello," Tin Man said politely.

"Hello," Garrem responded without much warmth or politeness. He had only heard about this mysterious being made of tin, and it was very peculiar to see him up close. Tin Man sat perfectly still, his silver eyes locked onto the door. Garrem continued to study the metal man. His limbs were cylindrical in shape, and his face strongly resembled that of a human's, he even had a head full of tiny silver wires for hair. Remarkable. Garrem had never seen such an astounding machine before.

Tin Man caught him staring. "Is there something I can help you with?" Tin Man asked somewhat sharply.

"Oh, no, nothing at all," Garrem responded. "I just haven't seen such a complex machine before. Pray tell, how were you created?"

Tin Man did not respond. He only turned back to the door.

Thankfully, a third man entered, breaking the rising tension. This one was a Munchkin, obvious because of his height. His blond hair was neatly combed back and his blue suit was tasteful and stylish. He took the chair opposite of the two already seated, his head barely visible above the table.

The fourth and final member showed up, a Lion, and not just any Lion. _The _Lion that vanquished the Witch. He was now the King of the Animals, ruling over the South. Garrem couldn't help but chuckle.

"I wonder where the Scarecrow is. Why isn't _he _the governor of Munchkinland?" he laughed.

"No one has seen the Scarecrow after the Wizard's departure," Tin Man said flatly.

Before Garrem could ask the Tin Man any further questions, Glinda entered, smiling brilliantly. "Good afternoon, gentlemen, I'm glad you could all make it here on such short notice. But ever since the Wizard left me in charge, things have gotten fairly less favorable in the past couple of months." She took her seat at the head of the table, her manicured hands gently gliding over the papers in front of her. "Now as I understand it, Munchkinland has drastically raised their prices on all of their crops because of the sudden drought, is that right?"

"That is correct, your Goodness," the Munchkin piped up. "Of course, with nearly a quarter of our crops lost in the drought, we had to. My people wouldn't be able to make a profit otherwise."

"I perfectly understand that," Glinda said. "But your action caused the other counties to raise their prices as well, resulting in mass inflation. I suggest we work out a compromise to resolve these sudden increasing prices. Now, Master Tin Man, you have raised the prices on most nearly all of your exports. Please, any specific reason why so?"

"Well, Miss Glinda," he said, folding his hands together. "As you know, the Vinkus has been in quite a shamble for a while, with the whole Witch scam. Very few people were buying anything from the west, and poverty levels rose drastically. After the witch was killed, I thought it would be the opportune time to save the west from depression and tried to reinitiate commerce between the other districts. I encouraged the people to raise their prices to help speed up the recovery."

Glinda couldn't help but notice how Tin Man refrained from calling Elphaba "the wicked witch" and just "the witch." "So your rise in prices had nothing to do with the fact Munchkinland was raising their crop prices?"

"Partially, but not entirely," Tin Man responded.

"And what about you, Master Garrem?" Glinda asked, turning to him.

"Your Goodness, I had no choice but to resort to increasing prices on our exports. Food was expensive, and we had to make a profit somehow."

"And so did we! We couldn't afford to keep our food prices in their current state! It would have meant a loss in profit for us!" the Munchkin said.

Glinda spoke up. "It is obvious you two need to reach some sort of agreement. Both of your increased prices are affecting the rest of Oz! The country is in a serious depression as is! I expect the two of you to come to some sort of agreement by next week."

Garrem looked concerned. "But Miss Glinda, how are we ever-"

"Garrem, this is not an option," Glinda said, steeling her voice. "I will not accept this sort of behavior from the two of you. Figure it out. I expect you two to come to me with a written agreement by next week. No exception."

Tin Man raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. He had never heard Glinda be so forceful and in command. She was taking her duties as ruler of Oz quite seriously, and she wasn't about to tolerate any leeway. He was very proud of her.

"Would anyone else like to add anything else?" Glinda asked, but no one responded. "Alright then, meet back here in one week. I expect nothing but the best from you two, Garrem and Jovill," she said, looking at the Gillikinese governor and the Munchkin. The two men eyed each other and promptly left the room, the Lion following close behind them. The Tin Man, however, stayed behind for a moment.

Glinda was not very fond of this metal person at all. He was the one who lead on the witch hunts for Elphie. He was one of the people who was directly involved with Elphaba's murder! She did not know anything about him, but she knew she did not like him in the least.

"Is there something the matter, Tin Man?" she asked, but her tone was crisp and clearly stated that she did not appreciate his presence.

"My Lady, I just would like to say that I think you are doing a marvelous job so far," he said sincerely. "I know you'll do a great job, and much better than the Wizard ever could."

Glinda was caught off guard. "Thank you," she said, but still cautious of him.

"If there's anything at all you need help with, I want you to know that I will be more than honored to assist you with anything. Anything at all."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you," she said, her voice softening slightly. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good day, Miss Glinda." And he left.

She stood there for a moment, deep in thought. She of course have had countless admirers, but no one quite like him. He was so genuine and sincere, so much so she dropped her guard around him. Perhaps she could use his loyalty to her advantage somehow, but then again she didn't want to manipulate him like the Wizard manipulated herself. But she knew he was a valuable ally.

And there was something so strangely familiar about him, something Glinda couldn't quite place . . . she shrugged it off. Why was she worrying about him so? She had duties to attend to.

* * *

Boq sighed heavily as he exited the Palace. That was the perfect time to tell her. He should have told her who he was! But he didn't. He was afraid. Afraid that Glinda couldn't accept him for who-- actually, rather, _what _he was now. He certainly wasn't. He still wasn't used to this new metal body, so bulky, clumsy . . . and cold. That's what he hated the most. He was nothing more than a large hunk of metal. He couldn't feel anything. Everything passed as if in a dream. He couldn't feel the wind, or the texture of fabric . . . or the warmth of human skin if he held someone's hand . . .

He closed his eyes, stopping dead in his tracks. He had to tell her. She needed to know who he was.

* * *

Glinda studied the papers in front of her, hand pressed to her forehead, deep in thought. She tried her best to keep the painful tears from flowing. She missed Elphie so much. It was impossible to imagine life without her. She wiped any moisture from her eye threatening to spill. She couldn't afford to cry. Not now. Not when so many people depended on her.

A knock at her door. "Miss Glinda, there is something I need to tell you."

Glinda sighed angrily. The Tin Man. How she wished it was anyone else but him. She didn't want to see him at the moment. Despite his kind words earlier, she wasn't about to forgive him so easily for what he did.

"Please, not now, I am very busy," she said in a pleasant tone, which was a very difficult task, since she was on the brink of tears.

"I'm sorry, but it's urgent." He stepped inside before she had time to protest. And immediately, he noticed the tears in her eyes. "Glinda what's wrong?"

"Nothing, please, just go, I don't want to see anyone right now," she said angrily, turning away. "I have a lot of work to do. Just go."

"Then perhaps I can help," he said, grabbing a chair and sitting next to her.

"I don't need your help. I'm perfectly capable of doing this on my own," she said angrily, her voice nearly a yell.

Tin Man placed his hand gently on top of hers. "I want to help you."

Glinda pulled her hand away. "NO! Just go away! Get out of here! Just get out! I can't stand you! You murderer!"

His eyes went wide, and Glinda was horrified at her own words. She slipped up. She made a horrible mistake. She put a hand to her mouth and shut her eyes tightly, still fighting back the tears.

"I am so sorry. I can never forgive myself for what I did. Elphaba didn't deserve to die. But . . . I was just so angry . . ."

Glinda looked up at him. "You knew her?!"

He smiled sadly "Yes. I knew her."

Then, she grew furious. "And you still tried to kill her! Why?! Anyone that knew her name would have also known she wasn't wicked in the slightest!"

He shut his eyes. "I thought she was . . . after what she did to me . . . I should have known I was wrong, I should have forgiven her, but I couldn't. Please Glinda, I am so sorry, I didn't want her dead. I made a horrible mistake."

"Who are you?" she whispered, her eyes wide and fearful.

"You knew me, a long time ago," he said, his eyes still closed. "But I don't blame you if you don't remember me."

"Who are you?!" she pressed.

His silver eyes met hers. "My name is Boq."

Glinda's jaw dropped wide open. "_Boq_?!" she cried. He nodded sadly. "But . . . how-- what--?!"

"Elphaba did this to me," he said, lowering his gaze. "Nessa tried to curse me . . . I was dying . . . and she turned me into this."

"You bastard!" she screamed, slapping him as hard as she could across the face. Boq didn't even move, he just stared at Glinda in total shock. Glinda recoiled, clutching her hand close to her chest. Her entire hand was in pain, crippling, searing pain that shot all the way up her arm. Tears came to her eyes as she rubed her hand to dull the pain, but the pain remained intense and blinding.

Boq came to her side. "Let me see your hand," he said, holding out his.

"Get away from me!" she winced. "You killed her! You heartless murderer! You killed her! How could you?!"

Boq lowered his head. "I'm so sorry."

"I'll never forgive you for what you did to Elphie!" she cried. "You killed her! She saved your life and you killed her!" Tears were now flowing freely from her eyes. "I hate you, Boq! I hate you!"

Boq wrapped his arms gently around her frame and held her close, taking a handkerchief and wiping away her tears. She hit his chest with her uninjured hand, yelling at him to let her go.

"Just leave me alone! Just go away! I hate you! You ruined everything!"

"I'm so sorry," Boq said. How he wanted to say more, how he wanted to take away Glinda's pain. He held her for a while, and eventually her tears stopped, and she collapsed to the ground, her make-up smeared with tears. Boq lifted the damp handkerchief and wiped away her make-up. She was still gorgeous.

"Now let me see your hand," he said gently. Reluctantly, she held out her hand for him to see. Her delicate pale hand seemed so small and fragile in his own larger silver ones. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumbs softly, gently feeling each one of her long slender fingers. "Your hand is still in tact, no broken bones, just slightly bruised. You'll be ok." He wrapped the handkerchief gently around her hand and helped her to her feet.

"I'm sorry I got angry at you," she said in a very small voice. "I just miss her so much."

"Don't be," he said. "I did a very terrible thing. But now, I want to try to help. I want to make things right again." He looked her in the eye. "Will you let me help you?"

She smiled, moved by his sincerity. "Alright."


	3. Chapter 3

Boq and Glinda both set off at work at once, the two of them eagerly (or so it seemed) diving into the may papers and proposals laid before them. Glinda was immensely relieved for Boq's help, he knew a lot more about government and politics than she did. Not to mention he was able to go through five papers for each one Glinda went through.

"Soon enough we'll get Oz back on its feet," Boq reassured. "And then we can really start working on repealling all of those Animal Bans."

"Boq, I can not possibly thank you enough," Glinda said with a smile. "You've been a tremendous help."

"It's the very least I can do," he said, giving her a smile. He began shifting through more papers, jotting down notes meticulously.

A long silence followed before Glinda's curiosity got the better of her. "How . . . how exactly did this happen? How did Elphie do this to you?" she asked, her voice small and shy.

Boq paused, but did not look up at her. He sat up, letting out a long breath. "I guess it all started when Elphaba ran off. Nessa was devastated she would abandon her-- that she would abandon _all_ of us, just like that. I did my best to comfort her, and she grew very attached, very clingy. I knew she loved me, really, _obsessed_ over me, but I just didn't have the heart to tell her I didn't love her," he said with a weak smile. "I guess I never really did have the heart to do anything, did I?"

Glinda reamined silent, and Boq continued.

"Then her father passed away from a strange sickness. I think it was from a very bad strand of influenza, but then, Nessa was left as governor of Munchkinland. She let all that power go to her head, enslaving us, never allowing any of us to leave. And I was trapped as her servant. It must have been at least five years when Elphaba finally returned to Nessa, seeking protection. Elphaba enchanted Nessa's shoes so she could walk. And I thought she would no longer need me. I thought I was free." He closed his eyes. "But I was wrong. Nessa tried to curse me so I would lose my heart to her. And the spell worked quite literally. My heart began to shrink. I blacked out, and when I woke up . . ." he spread his hands. "I was this. I was so furious Elphaba had cursed me, that she turned me into this machine, and that I was better off dead. But now, well, I'm happy I'm alive."

Glinda wiped her eyes. "Oh, Boq, I am so sorry."

"None of this was your fault. I wasn't strong enough to break off with Nessa when I was younger. It's mostly my fault, really. I was a fool. I had this coming," Boq reassured.

"I swear, I'm going to change you back," Glinda resolved. Boq jumped nearly a foot out of his chair.

"Um, what?!" he said. "Uh, Glinda, no offense, but you're not very . . . well, _good_."

"Elphie gave me a spell book just before she died," Glinda said. "I'm sure there's something in there that can help."

Boq raised a tin eyebrow. "Really? Ok, let me look at it."

Glinda rose to her feet and pulled the old dusty Grimmerie out of her private bookshelf, which was hidden underneath a secret trap door. She brought it over and laid it out before Boq. Boq opened the book and studied the words carefully. And he smiled.

"This is brilliant," he said. "It's an ancient language, I can recognize it from one of my History lectures. Now let's see . . ." He studied just the one page for an entire five minutes without moving or saying anything at all before he finally sat up straight and looked at Glinda. "It's some obscure form of ancient Vinkan. But it's nothing I have seen before. It's almost like all the ancient languages mashed into one. Which means it's going to take quite a while to decipher."

Glinda leaned over Boq's shoulder, looking down at the page's mysterious writings. "Can you recognize any of it?" she asked hopefully.

Boq smiled up at her proudly. "Ah, you're in luck. Languages are my specialty! It's basically a giant puzzle. We just need to find some sort of reference and use that as a key, and deciphering the rest will be easy."

"Well, how do we find the key?" Glinda asked.

"Give me a second," Boq said, flipping through the old worn pages of the book. He never paused for more than ten seconds on each page and quickly leafed through the entire book, trying to find anything useful. Finally he paused at one page, towards the back of the book, and leaned in closer to the words.

"Ok, here, I am sure I recognize this symbol," he said, pointing to an oval-shaped symbol with three vretical lines. "This is the ancient symbol for 'blood,' I'm sure of it."

"Oh, that's lovely," Glinda said sarcastically, stepping back.

"But that's a start, at least." He pulled out another leaf of paper and drew down the symbol, writing _blood_ next to it. "And the symbol next to this, this 'Z' shape, that's . . . now that's strange . . ." he muttered.

"What is?" Glinda asked.

"The 'blood' symbol is from ancient Quadling," Boq said, furrowing his brows together, deep in thought. "But this symbol-" he pointed to the 'Z' shaped symbol. "-is from an ancient Vinkan tribe. Huh."

"What does the Z mean?" Glinda asked.

"Death," he said flatly.

Glinda raised her hands to her mouth. "So this spell kills people?!"

"Glinda, we only deciphered two symbols on this entire page," Boq said. "For all we know, this spell can do anything."

"Like kill people?"

"Or it can prevent someone from _getting_ killed, for all we know," he said, still reading the book. "And we have to take into account I could be wrong."

"You?! Wrong?! I didn't think it was possible to have those two words in the same sentence!" Glinda teased.

Boq laughed. If he could blush, he would have been ver red.

* * *

Boq was soon deeply engorged with the mysterious spell book. It was absolutely fascinating. He spent hours taking notes, writing down the symbols and their meanings, often relying on other books describing symbols and their meanings. By night, he had quite a list.

Glinda had retired to her bed chambers long ago, exhausted from the day's work. But Boq couldn't tire. He spent the entire night looking through the book. But in the middle of the night, a sudden realization came over him. What was he doing wasting his time with something so trivial?! Certainly returning to his human form could wait. There were other much more important things he could be doing than trying to fix himself.

Glinda wasn't exactly good at politics, although Boq had to give her credit for doing a fantastic job so far. He knew he should be using this new curse to help her. He couldn't tire and had no need to eat or sleep, so he should really be spending his time trying to fix all of Oz's problems. He put down the book and got down to work.

* * *

Glinda woke surprisingly early in the morning, pleasantly refreshed. She had a very lovely sleep, free of dreams, and nightmares, thankfully. She dressed and fixed up her hair, and didn't bother too much with her make-up. After Elphie's death, she resolved to focus less on her appearance and more on important things.

Speaking of which . . . Boq. She had no doubt in her heart she was also partially to blame for his unfortunate circumstance. If she hadn't hooked up Nessa and Boq in the first place . . . she sighed. Would have, could have should have. Life was full of them. If only she _did_.

She was going to fix that now. She had to fix everything that was wrong, all the wrongs the Wizard did, all the wrongs _she_ did, it was her responsibility to fix them now. She wasn't the same blond ditz she was in college.

She entered her study, and gasped in shock. Boq was sitting at the same spot he was sitting at the night before when she had retired for the evening. And all around him were papers and folders of government documents, appeals, and bills. She picked up a folder and her eyes widened.

"Boq . . . ?" she asked.

He smiled sheepishly. "I thought you needed a hand."

"You mean, you did all of this last night?!" she asked, now totally bewildered. "Boq . . . you shouldn't have!"

"What did you want me to do, sit around and do nothing?" he asked jokingly.

"You must be exhausted!" she said.

His grin faltered a bit. "I don't have that kind of luxury anymore. I can't sleep or eat." He shrugged. "Comes with the package I guess."

"Oh, I am so sorry," she said.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But did you get any further with that Grimmerie?" she asked.

"Not really," he said. "I did manage to decipher a couple more symbols before I started working on your government documents, but that's about it." He held up a couple sheets of paper filled with symbols and their interpretations. "Now bear in mind, I may be completely wrong. And even if I was right, we might want to somehow test this first."

Glinda nodded, looking through the papers. "And that one spell we were looking at yesterday?"

"That's actually a very powerful protection charm," Boq said matter-of-factly. 'It protects an object from any physical harm. But I haven't finished deciphering it quite yet, there may be some sort of catch or side-effect."

Glinda furrowed her brows. "Do you mind if I look through the book one more time?" she asked.

"Not at all," he said, handing her the Grimmerie.

She leafed through the pages, which were now filled with notecards and little leafs of paper, but finally she found the spell. She read it over carefully, deep in thought. "I'm going to get some tea, then I'll be right back," she said.

"Of course," Boq said.

Glinda carried the book out with her, heading down the staircase to fetch herself a cup and boil some water. In the meantime, Boq looked over some stock market reports, noticing that the economy was slightly rising. Very good news.

Not five minutes later, Boq heard an ear-splitting shriek rip across the palace, a scream of unadulterated fear. Boq jumped, knowing it was none other than Glinda who had screamed. Immediately he raced down the halls, running as fast as his tin legs could carry him. He burst into the kitchen, where he saw Glinda curled up in a corner, crying. The Grimmerie was at her side, wide open.

"Glinda, what's wrong, what's the matter?" he asked her quickly.

She didn't say anything. She just raised a shaky finger and pointed across the tile floor. Boq turned, and saw what she was pointing at. It was a mouse, but it was strangely shaped, almost deformed. There was something very odd about it. Boq stepped closer, and picked it up. And that's when he realized that it was actually a brown mouse-shaped piece of cloth with a rope for a tail, stuffed with straw. But the thing that startled Boq the most was that it was _alive_. It squirmed and tried to wriggle out of Boq's hands and squeaked fretfully.

He turned to Glinda. "What . . .?" he began, not even sure what he was trying to ask her.

"I saw it in a mouse trap," she stuttered, tears still in her eyes. "It was still alive, but only barely. I felt so bad for it . . . and I cast the spell on it!"

"What spell?" Boq asked.

"_The_ spell! The protection spell! The one you deciphered!" Glinda cried. "The one that protects an object from any physical harm!!"

Boq looked down at the mouse. The mouse made of straw. And suddenly, it clicked.

"Oh. Oh my _god_."


	4. Chapter 4

Boq looked up at Glinda, his tin hands shaking slightly. "Oh my god . . . Glinda, do you know what this means?!"

She was too shaken to say anything. She just continued to stay curled up in her ball, still crying quietly in her arms.

"This means . . . this means that the Scarecrow was once a human being! Elphaba must have used that spell on a person and turned him into a scarecrow! But who?"

"Don't you get it?!" Glinda cried suddenly. "It was Fiyero! Elphaba turned Fiyero into the scarecrow!"

Boq nearly dropped the straw mouse in his hands. "What?! But . . . why?! Glinda, are you _sure_?!"

Glinda sobbed once again in her arms. "It's my fault! All my fault! I told Morrible! I told Morrible to use Nessa to get Elphie out of hiding! And she killed Nessa! Oh, god! I am a horrible person! I'm the reason Nessa's dead!"

Boq knelt by Glinda's side, still holding the mouse in his hand. "Please, slow down. What are you talking about?"

"Fiyero . . . ran off with Elphie," she sniffed. "I was so angry at her. I thought Fiyero loved me. But I was wrong. He never loved me, he loved her, and she took him from me. I was so angry . . . I told Morrible to spread a rumor that Nessa was sick, and that Elphie would rush to her sister's side in an instant . . . but she killed her instead! Morrible caused the twister that killed Nessa! And Elphie came to her side, just like Morrible knew she would . . . and the guards captured her! They were going to arrest her! But them Fiyero showed up and forced them to let her go. They had no choice and she ran off. And then . . ." She broke down into louder sobs. "And then they took him out into the cornfields to torture the information out of him! They were going to kill him so they could find her!"

Boq's eyes went wide with sudden realization. "Then Elphaba cast the spell . . . do you think she knew?!"

"I don't know, Boq! I don't know!" Glinda sobbed. "Oh, my poor Fiyero! He didn't deserve that! Not that! He's . . . he's . . ."

"Shh, it's ok," Boq reassured, enveloping her in his arms.

"Where did he go? Where is he? Boq, I need to know!" she begged him.

He sighed. "He ran off after the Wizard left. I have no idea where he is."

Glinda bit her lip, fighting back more tears. "Oh, sweet Oz! Fiyero . . ."

Boq rocked Glinda back and forth, trying to calm her down, but in his own head, his thoughts were jumbled and confused. Fiyero was the scarecrow all along?! How could he not know? How could he not realize his straw stuffed companion was the Prince of the Vinkus?! Was Glinda even right?!

But it made senes. All the pieces fit. He couldn't believe it. Fiyero had been cursed just like he had.

This only raised a storm of questions in his mind. Why did Fiyero join the hunt for Elphaba if he loved her? Was he angry with her for what she did to him? Or did the spell cause him to forget his past? That would explain why he said he wanted a brain . . .

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. He just didn't know anymore.

"We--we have to find him," Glinda choked out.

"Glinda, I don't think we can find him if we wanted to," Boq said.

"But I have to try! I have to find him so I can change him back! I love him!"

Boq stood abrruptly, nearly toppling her over. His expression was steely and cold, but not angry. Although in his heart, he was furious with her. "So that's it, huh? You love him?"

Glinda immediately saw how hurt he was because of her remark. "Boq, please, I care about you, too . . . "

"You just don't love me, do you?" he said angrily. "He left you! He ran off to fend for yourself! He abandoned you! But I came to your side! I helped you! I sacrificed _everything_, even my humanity, just for you!! And what do you do in return?! You spit it back in my face and rather run off after a boy who didn't even love you! But I love you! I always have, Miss _Galinda_! I was always there for you! And not once did you show me any sort of compassion in return!"

Glinda backed away from him, terrified of his outburst. "Boq, please . . ." she whimpered.

"Maybe I was wrong to help you," Boq said in a much quieter voice. "Maybe I was wrong in thinking if I helped you, you would love me. Yes, Glinda, I was a fool once again. I was a fool thinking someone like you could love someone like me! After all, how can you love a heartless machine made of tin, right?!"

"Boq, no!"

But he stormed out of the kitchen before she could take back her words. She could hear his steps pound thunderously across the Palace, and outside, slamming the door behind him. She sank to her knees and began to shed new tears.

"Oh, sweet Oz, what have I done?" she cried.

The tiny straw-stuffed mouse curiously poked at her fingertips. Glinda scopped up the mouse in her hands and held it tightly, a painful reminder of her ex-fiance's twisted fate. She closed her eyes, the mouse's little squeaks the only sound filling the small kitchen.

She screwed up again. She pushed away her only ally, her only real friend. Boq was the only one who could help her. And she managed to shove him away.

She cried angry tears, angry at herself for what she did. Boq was so innocent and he had always been so kind to her. He loved her. _He loved her_. Those words echoed painfully in her head. He loved her, and all she did was take him for granted.

Yet another thing to add to her list to make things right. She was going to change him back, she owed him that, at the very least. She had to make things right again.

And this time, no one was going to be there to help her.

* * *

Caramadje eyed the Palace carefully as he circled around the Palace's main square. The tall green spires shot brilliantly off into the sky, seemingly vanishing into the sky. The crystaline structure of the place was an engineering and architectural marvel, to be looked upon with awe for years to come. Caramadje was one of the few who wasn't gaping at the Palace's magnificence.

He was scouting out the premises.

His disheveled and dirty appearance immediately classified him as a harmless bum. He wore no shoes, only bandages wrapped around his feet. His trousers were brown with dirt and dust, and the hems had been ripped long ago. His shirt was little more than a ragged cloth tossed over his shoulders. Shawls covered his form, hiding his true physique.

It took him hours to perfect the look. His mission was that important.

He mentally counted all the visible guards surrounding the Palace. Twenty-five. No doubt at least ten more hiding within the structure itself. He continued his slow circle around the Palace for the right vantage point, the weakest area, the perfect place to launch an attack.

Yes. He and his men would unseat that blond ditz from her throne and let a true leader take over. Glinda was nothing more than an arrogant, talentless slut, and someone like her shouldn't be honored with such a prestigious title. No doubt she was only with the Wizard's side because she had such a fine and beautiful figure. But she had no talent. No political knowledge. She'd run the place to the ground before the year was out.

She wasn't worthy to rule. Not that little princess.

Caramadje, on the other hand, was denied every single opportunity to be someone, despite his valiant efforts. He was talented and smart, but every government position available went to someone with a name, someone who had famous parents or who was insanely rich, of which Caramadje was neither. He knew he was far better suited for the job than any of them. But no one cared about genuine talent anymore. Only names and prestige, which enfuriated him to no end.

He was also an excellent fighter, but lost the position of Captain of the Guards to that arrogant Vinkan prince. At least he had his revenge and had the pleasure of slitting the Captain's throat in retalliation to his treachery.

But now he would have his revenge on the ruler herself. He would take the title he had been denied for so long. All his efforts, all his work was about to pay off.

He was going to attack at night, and kill Lady Glinda, and take the throne for himself.

* * *

Glinda sighed heavily as she finished yet another document, this one asking for approval of a tax increase in the South. Glinda had read the proposal over several times extremely carefully and eventually agreed to it. She placed the document back into a folder, to be mailed back with her signature of approval.

She rubbed her weary eyes, exhausted after the day's events. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was well past midnight. She trudged back to her room, kicking her shoes off her sore aching feet and throwing off the overly flamboyant and elegant ball gown. She really needed to get a new wardrobe. All of her dresses and clothes were just too . . . fancy. She needed something more casual, more day-to-day.

Simpler.

She needed something simpler. Her life was complicated enough as it was, why add all that extra drama? She drifted into her bathroom, her feet thankful to be out of her heels. Glinda washed off all her make-up carefully and studied her natural face carefully. She was pretty enough without the make-up. She looked at herself harder. Did she really need any of it? Why did she smother her face and cover up her real face like a mask? But her question seemed to answer itself. She was afraid. She always had been. Afraid of what others would think, afraid of being judged, afraid of looking weak, afraid to be _human_. Because Glinda the Good did not make mistakes. Glinda the Good didn't cry, or mourn, or betray her friends, or push them away. She was trying to be perfect in every sense of the word.

She couldn't be perfect. Eventually the mask would fall and the people would see the real Glinda, the Glinda that couldn't be strong for her friends, who hurt her friends, who was a coward and was weak.

She didn't even notice she had been crying until she looked back up at her reflection. She wiped away the tears and drifted back over to her bed.

The straw-stuffed mouse had become her little pet, partially because it was her constant reminder of what had happened to her long-lost lover. But did she really even _love_ him? Sure, she cared about him more than anyhting, but was it actual genuine love? But Fiyero and Elphaba, when they were together . . . it was impossible not to see it. You could almost, actually _see_ the love between the two.

She fell against the soft pillows, pulling a sheet over her slender frame. The little mouse curled up next to her hand, and she gently stroked its soft furry cloth skin. Underneath, she could feel the straw crinkling against her touch. She bit her lip painfully.

"Oh, goodness, what a mess I have gotten myself into," she murmured. "I don't know what to do anymore. I'm trying, I really am. But I guess I'm just not good enough."

"Have faith, my Lady," a tiny voice said suddenly. Glinda jumped out of her bed, doing everything in her power to keep herself from screaming.

"Who said that?! Who's there?!" she cried out hysterically.

"Me, of course!"

Glinda stared at the little mouse. Her eyes went wide. "You . . ."

The Mouse chuckled. "Yes, my lady, I am a Mouse, and I can speak perfectly well, thank you."

Glinda felt a wave of nausea overcome her and had to steady herself against a nearby dresser. "You could tallk all along?!"

He nodded. "I tried to tell you sooner, but you just seemed so upset, I didn't want to distraught you further."

GLinda sat on her bed, holding out her hands, to which the Mouse jumped into. She brought up the Mouse to eye-level, her blue eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh, you must hate me for what I did to you! I am so terribly sorry!" she said, looking upon the straw Mouse with pity and remorse.

"My Lady, if not for you, I would be dead. I should thank you for saving my life," he said sincerely, giving her a little bow.

"Some life this is," she replied bitterly, setting him down. "You're nothing but . . . but a heap of talking fabric and straw! How could you _not_ be angry at me for what I did?!"

"Miss, you have enough to worry about as is," he said seriously. "The last thing you should worry about is some old disheveled Mouse's comfort."

Glinda sighed, pulling her knees up to herchest. "I've done so many things wrong! You, Boq, Elphie, Fiero . . . everything's my fault!"

"Now, I am sure that's a bit of an over-kill," the Mouse said carefully. "And perhaps it is not the best to reminise on the past so much. Learn from it, m'lady. I am sure you'll be able to undo whatever wrongs you have done."

"And I'm going to start with you and Boq," she resolved. "I'm going to change you back."

The Mouse chuckled. "It's a good start. Now rest, m'lady, I am sure there is much to do tomorrow."

Glinda smiled a little, and laid back onto the downy bed, the Mouse curling up by her side. "Oh, what is your name?" she asked.

"You can call me Tip." the Mpuse said.

"Pleasure to meet you, mister Tip," she said.

He laughed once again. "Pleasure's all mine, M'lady."

But as Glinda drifted off to a peaceful slumber, dark figures hid in the shadows. Murder and bloodlust in their red hateful eyes.

"Men, attack!" Caramadje ordered.


	5. Chapter 5

"Glinda! Get up! _Now_!"

Glinda's bright blue eyes burst open, only to see a dark figure towering abover her. She opened her mouth to scream, but the figure clamped his hand tightly over her mouth. That's when she noticed how cold his hand was.

It was Boq!

He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of bed, shaken and terrified. "Quickly, Glinda! Get dressed! We have to get out of here now!'

"Why?! What's going on, Boq?" she said, Boq's panic fueling her own rising sense of terror and dread. Her hands were shaking so badly her fingers constantly fumbled with the straps of the dresses hanging on the thin wire hangers.

"I don't have time to explain!" he said, his eyes locked onto the door. "But wear something you can run in! _Move_!"

Glinda lost all sense of modesty and flung off her nightgown and slid on her most casual dress, a light-weight blue dress that fell to her knees. Luckily she had a pair of shoes she could comfortably walk in, void of any heels. Boq grabbed her hand and lead her to the window.

"Wait, Tip!" she cried.

"What are you talking about?! Glinda, we don't have time!" Boq yelled furiously.

Glinda ran over to the bed and Tip jumped into her hands, confusion on his face.

"Lady Glinda, what's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said, running back over to Boq's side. He already threw open the windows and clambered outside, clinging to the windowsill to keep himself from falling. He extended his hand.

"Grab on! Come on, we have to get out of here!" he said, urging her to grab his tin hand.

Glinda stared down at the earth three floors below, and backed away in fear. She began tearing up, holding herself in fright.

"Boq, I can't!" she cried. "I'm scared!"

"Glinda, you have to trust me!" Boq said. "There are men invading the Palace to kill you! You have to get out of here before they can find you!"

At that moment, Glinda could distincly hear a loud crash, and faint footseps pounding through the halls. Angry voices arose in the silent night, and Glinda was paralyzed with dread. They were coming to kill her!

"Glinda!" Boq urged, extending his hand to her. "You have to trust me!"

Glinda looked out at Boq, and a burning memory seared before her eyes. "_Then take my hand and let's go. If you want to fight, take my hand." She extended her thin, emerald hand to Glinda._

_Elphaba._

That day seemed like ages ago, the day Elphaba begged her to join her in the fight to defeat the Wizard. She was too afraid to join her then. But now, she couldn't afford to hide in fear any longer.

With a deep breath, she placed her delicate porcelin hand in Boq's own. He gripped her hand tightly and swung her around his shoulders.

"Hold on tight!" he said. Glinda wrapped her arms around his neck as tightly as she could and wrapped her legs around his waist. Boq grabbed a vine and started to slide down, but when they were still two floors above the ground, the vine snapped, sending all three of them falling to the ground below.

Boq straightened his body and braced himself for impact. He was about to find out just how strong he was. His feet hit the ground and he tried to cushion the fall as much as he could by bending his knees as he hit the ground, but he could clearly hear something snap and break in his legs. He winced, although he felt no pain. Glinda had been screaming the entire way down, and the little straw Mouse did everything he could to keep himself from flying off of Glinda.

Glinda slid off of Boq's back. "Are you alright?" he said.

She nodded. "I'm ok, just shaken," she said in a weak voice.

"Then come on!" Boq said, taking her hand and sprinting away from the Palace. However, Boq couldn't move his right leg, the leg that had been damaged in the fall. He limped onward as fast as he could, Glinda pulling him off into the streets of the Emerald City.

"Boq, you're hurt!" she said, noticing his limp.

"I can't feel pain, but my leg must have been broken in the fall," Boq said, leaning against a building wall and examining his leg. "Ah, yes. My leg operates with compressors and pistons. I must have broken the main compressor that allows my leg to bend."

Glinda nodded, peeking around the building and staring back up at the Palace. "But what's going on?! Why did you come back?" she asked.

Boq sighed, leaning heavily on his undamaged leg. "I saw men circling the Palace shortly after I left. I dismissed them at first, but when I came back hours later, they were still there. I knew something wasn't right. I snuck back into the Palace where I could keep an eye on you, and sure enough, several dozen men broke into the Palace, each heavily armed. I knew they were there to kill you. I had to get you to safety."

"But why did you come back?" she pressed.

"Simple," he said, taking her hand. "I'm not going to let you get killed." GLinda blushed. "Now let's go, they must have searched the Palace by now and realized you've escaped. We have to get as far as we can from here. And with my broken leg, we're not going to get far." He was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "Yo have to go. Run as far away from here as you can. Get out of the City. I'll find you."

"No, Boq, I'm not leaving you!" she said resolutely.

"If I come with, I'll only slow us down and they'll be able to catch us!" Boq said. "Glinda, it doesn't matter what happens to me! I can't die! But you can! You must hide! I will find you once I fix my leg!"

"Sorry, Boq, I'm not abandoning the only friend I have left!" she said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling him to his feet. "Now let's go!"

They started making their way down the empty cobblestone streets, Glinda helping Boq limp through the city. But soon, his heavy bulk became too much and she could no longer assist in carrying him. She leaned him against a wall, trying to catch her breath. Boq looked worriedly over his shoulder.

"We barely made it eight blocks!" he said, frustrated. "No doubt they can easily find us now! Glinda, you must listen to me! You have to run and leave me behind, I'm only slowing you down!"

"I'm not abandoning you!" she said stubbornly.

"My lady, listen to reason!" Tip piped. "You must get to safety! Your friend can fend for himself! They won't be after him! He'll be safe."

"You don't understand!" Glinda cried. "I abandoned Elphie once! And look where she is now! She's dead because I deserted her! I am not going to desert anyone!"

"You are a fool," Boq said. "I cannot die, why worry about me?"

"Because I _care_, Boq," she said. "I'm not leaving you and have the chance of those murderers finding you!"

"And what will they do to me if they do find me?" Boq said angrily.

"You can still be destroyed!" she yelled. "I'm not taking that chance!"

Boq sighed angrily, knowing arguing with Glinda further would be pointless. "Fine," he mumbled. "But we better hide, and find some way to fix my leg."

"I can use my magic," Glinda suggested.

"And as I recall, the only magic you ever did was blow up a sandwich," Boq said, terrified of the very idea of someone of Glinda's caliber attempting to magic him again.

She slumped her shoulders. "Oh, you're right," she muttered. "We better find some place where people know how to fix machines."

"Our best bet would be a factory," Tip said, leaping off of Glinda's shoulder and onto the road. "Follow me! I know a place not far from here. Maybe they can help us."

"I hope they can help us," Boq said, limping off after the enchanted Mouse, Glinda once again taking his arm and helping him onward. It was a long and painful walk to an older more rugged-looking building than what Glinda had expected. It was made entirely of brick, save for a row of tiny glass windows near the ceiling. Tall steel smoke towers jutted above the flat roof, puffing out charcoal-grey clouds of smoke.

They found a side-door, which was unlocked, and went inside. A large steel workshop was there to greet them, chains hanging from the ceiling and giant drums of molten steel were being smelted into steel pipes, beams, and other contraptions. Only a few workers were there on the nightshift, mostly just making sure the enormous furnace didn't overheat.

"Excuse me!" Glinda called out. "Excuse me, I need some help!"

One of the workers noticed her and gasped in shock. "Lady Glinda, what are you doing here?" he asked, more surprised than anything.

"I hope I'm not intruding," she said sincerely. "But my friend here is in desperate need of repairs." At that, Boq limped forward, his leg dragging behind him. The worker's eyes went wide.

"Why, Lurline smite my eyes, it's the Tin Man!" he exclaimed. "Say nothing further! I'll get you fixed at once!"

The worker rallied his fellow smiths, and they set off to work at once. They helped Boq onto a gurney and wheeled him to the center of the forge, where they began to assess the damage. The leader of the team examined Boq's injured leg carefully.

"It's impossible to know the extent of the damage without looking inside. Hand me the chainsaw, we need to cut his leg open," he said.

"No! You'll hurt him!" Glinda cried.

Boq roared with laughter. "My Lady, I can't feel pain! I can't get hurt! You have nothing to worry about!"

Glinda came to Boq's side. "Then at least let me stay with you."

"I would advise against it, Madame," one of the workers said, holding up a blowtorch and pulling a visor over his face. "Things will get quite messy."

Boq squeezed her hand. "I'll be fine, don't worry," he assured. Glinda nodded and stepped back, allowing the men to set off to work at once. She leaned against the far wall, sitting down and holding her legs close to her chest. Tip scampered onto her knee and gave her a smile with his stitched mouth.

"Your friend is in good hands. They'll fix him up, good as new in no time," he reassured.

Glinda gripped the Mouse gently in her hands and held him tightly against her chest. "Oh Tip, I'm so scared."

Tip nuzzled her cheek. "You're safe for now. But we must think of a plan. What do we do now?"

Glinda shook her head. "I need to assemble all of the guards and try to eliminate whoever attempted the coup."

Tip nodded. "Ah, that's a start. And by the way, where were all of your guards when they attacked?!"

She shook her head again. "I don't know. Do you think they . . . ?"

"It is possible," he said seriously. "It is very possible."

They sat in silence, the dawn breaking over the horizon. The smiths were still hard at work, fixing Boq's damaged legs. Glinda managed to catch an hour or so of fitful sleep while the workers repaired Boq's leg. One of the workers offered her a cup of coffee, which she accepted gratefully.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did he damaged his leg so badly?" he asked. "The inside mechanisms of his leg were nearly blown to bits!"

She offered a weak smile. "He took a rather long tumble."

"I see. And it is always an honor to be of service to our ruler."

"And I extend my most sincere thanks for helping him," Glinda said.

He smiled. "He should be back on his feet soon, we're just finishing up the final touches."

Glinda stood, scooping Tip onto her shoulder. The men were finishing welding the tin plating surrounding Boq's leg, and they stepped back once completed.

"Alright, that should do the trick!" the leader said proudly. "We installed a brand new steel compressor to replace the damaged tin one. Much more durable and efficient. He'll be in tip top shape for a very long time now."

"I cannot possibly thank you enough," she said, shaking his hand. "If you come by the Palace in a few days, I'll be able to properly repay you."

The leader waved it off. "Consider this a complimentary deed for our ruler."

She smiled. "Thank you so very much."

Boq stood, testing out his repaired leg, and grinned. "It works beautifully," he said. "Come, Glinda, let's go."

He extended his hand and she took it, and they both left the factory. It was still early in the morning and very few people roamed the streets. Boq silently made his way back to the Palace, wary of any possible threats.

Once they were a few blocks away from the Palace, Boq pulled Glinda off to the side. "I'm going to scout the area and see if it is safe. You must remain here until I get back. If I do not return in fifteen minutes, you must _run_. Is that understood?"

Glinda's eyes went wide. "Boq, if they capture you, I won't desert you!"

"If you come after me, they'll capture and kill you!" Boq protested. "Glinda, you must think of what is at risk! I value your life too much to have you throw it away on my account!"

Glinda was struck silent. "You do love me," she said softly, more to herself than anyone.

Boq's shoulders slumped to his side. "Yes. I do love you. Which is why you must listen to me. Tip, make sure she does so, ok?"

Tip saluted him. "Yes, your metal-ness."

Boq gripped Glinda's hand before he ran off into the streets.

"Fifteen minutes, Glinda," Tip reminded him.

Glinda sighed heavily. "Tip, I don't know if I can do that . . ."

"We _must_."

It was the longest fiftee minutes of her life. Her heart cried out in agony for his return, wishing with her very being that he would return. Twenty minutes passed. And no sign of Boq.

"Glinda . . . we must go," Tip said.

Glinda felt tears begin to form. "I can't leave him!"

"If we go now we can save him later. Your life is at stake, now we must run!"

"Glinda . . ."

She froze, hardly daring to believe she had heard his voice. "Boq . . . is that you?!"

Boq stepped out from behind a building, smiling at her. "Sorry, it took a bit longer than I expected."

Glinda wrapped her arms around his neck. "But thank god you're ok!"

"And the Palace is safe! I didn't see any enemies. Let's move." He took her hand and lead her down the streets. He dove into an older, dirty alleyway, which immediately made Glinda uneasy.

Boq noticed her hesitancy. "Don't worry, this alley's safe, I checked."

"Oh, it is most certainly very safe!" a cold voice said out of the darkness. A man stepped into the light, revealing the rifle he was pointing directly at Glinda. It was Caramadje.

Glinda gasped. Boq gripped her arms tightly, pinning them behind her. His friendly expression immediately turned to a cruel and evil smirk.

"Boq, what are you doing?!" she cried. "He's going to kill us!"

Caramadje laughed menacingly. "Oh, it's a wonder spells can do!" He held up the Grimmerie for her to see. "You should really be more careful with where you put such dangerous spell books!"

Glinda turned around. Boq began to shift and change into someone else, another man, obviously an ally of the person standing in front of Glinda. She gasped with a horrible realization. It was a disguise! A man had disguised himself as Boq and led her here!

"What have you done with the real tin man?!" she cried. "Where is my friend?!"

Caramadje laughed. "Oh, we've taken care of him. We captured him and locked him away. Soon I'll be able to completely translate the entire Grimmerie and I am sure there is some sort of mind control spell in there. We'll put that machine to good use!"

"You monster!" Glinda cried. "You'll never get away with this!"

"Oh, but I already have!" Caramadje said, pointing the rifle tip at Glinda's throat. "We massacred every single one of your pathetic guards! Just like I massacred our precious fiance!"

"No . . ." Glinda whispered, shaking with terror and grief.

"You're already dead, Miss Glinda," he sneered. "But it's such a pity to kill you now, I still have use for you!"

The last thing Glinda saw was the butt of the rifle slamming into her skull, and then she knew nothing more.

* * *

**Goodness, this story's intense.**

**I LOVE IT!**

**Reviews are always appreciated! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

Glinda groaned, slowly coming to. She could hear faint voices, little more than inaudible murmurs close by. She opened her eyes and was greeted with a dark and blurry image. She tried to rub her eyes, but something was restraining her hands. She yanked her hands again.

Steel rattled against steel. Chains. She was handcuffed to a cold and damp brick wall. Her vision slowly focused to take in her surroundings. She was in some sort of prison cell, and she could recognize her surroundings enough to know she was somewhere within Southstair. It was dimly lit, and three guards were stationed outside Glinda's cell, each heavily armed with guns and swords. One of the guards noticed her and motioned to the other men.

"Hey, she's awake!" he said. "Get Caramadje!"

Glinda tried to stand on her shaky legs, but the chains prevented her from even rising to her feet. She huffed angrily, leaning against the brick wall of her cell. She heard two sets of footsteps fast approaching her cell. It was Caramadje, with the guard. He unlocked her cell and entered, standing only a few feet away from her. He sneered down cruelly at her.

"Ah, our little princess awakens!" he snickered.

"If you think you can get away with this, you are wrong!" she screamed.

He laughed. "What are you going to do? Magic me to death?! Glinda, I know all your secrets! I know you don't have a drop of magic in your veins! You can't even perform the simplest of spells! You're powerless to stop me!"

"You're wrong!" she said.

"Oh, a feisty little vixen, I like that," he sneered. "Maybe I should spare you so you can be my _personal_ prize possession." The guards laughed.

"You sicken me!" she hissed.

"But there is one thing you have yet to do for me," he said, droping to one knee. "I need you to translate the Grimmerie for me!"

"I can't!" she said. "It's in a foreign language! I can't read it!"

"Bullshit!" he yelled, slapping her across the face. Glinda gasped in shock, the blow stinging her cheek. Angry tears flowed from her eyes.

"If you think that hurts, imagine the pain I can unleash upon you!" he said in a low voice. "I will torture the information out of you, if I have to! And I'll start by cutting off each one of your fingers!"

Glinda began to cry more freely. "I don't know! I don't know how to translate it! I can't read it, please, I'm telling the truth!"

Caramadje stood. "Fine. Then you are of no use to me." He turned and stepped out of the cell, locking the door back up. "By dawn tomorrow, you'll be dead. Come, men, I have a nation to rule." He and the guards left, each one laughing at Glinda's impending fate. She watched them go, paralyzed with horror.

_By dawn tomorrow, you'll be dead._

Glinda brought her knees up to her chest and began to weep bitterly. She was going to die. She was going to die . . .

* * *

Caramadje stepped slowly about the elegant throne room. Tall, arched ceilings, large stained glass windows . . . it was absolutely stunning. His smile grew, deeply inhaling the Palace air.

"It's even more magnificent than I thought it would be," he said. "It'll be perfect for my needs!" He sat upon the overly-large throne, crossing his leg over his knee and perching thoughtfully upon his new and rightful place. "Finally, it is mine! All of it! All of Oz at my fingertips!"

"Sir, your visitor would like to see you now," a guard announced.

Caramadje sighed. Ah, well, better get down to buisness. He would have to properly celebrate later. "Alright, send him in."

The guard opened the throne room doors, ushering the visitor inside. The morning light silhouetted against the figure, preventing Caramadje from determing any details, but the sun shone brightly off his metal body. Caramadje sat back in his throne.

"Master Tin Man," he said quietly, greeting the tin creature. "But I have heard Miss Glinda call you Boq. Is that your true name?"

"Boq died a long time ago," he said coldly. "I am Tin Man now."

"You didn't exactly attempt to restrain her from calling you by your old name," he noted suspiciously.

"I was under her command, unfortunately. She wished to call me by my human name, and I was not one to protest. I couldn't, if I wanted to get on her good side. But I am not loyal to her. I never was. I was only forced under her command because the Wizard stepped down from power and she took over."

"So what do you want from me?" Caramadje mused.

"A trade," Tin Man said. "I can translate the Grimmerie word for word. And in exchange, I want Glinda. Alive. I have my own personal score to settle with her."

"And what exactly would that be?" Caramadje asked, becoming more and more wary of the metal creature.

"She's the reason I'm like this!" he said angrily, gesturing to his tin body. "She forced me into servitude under the Witch of the East and she caused this to happen! I wish to have my revenge for what she did to me!"

"Then why were you protecting her from my men? They wanted to kill her. They would have done the deed for you," Caramadje said.

"As long as Glinda was in power, I could not go against her wishes. She ordered me to be her personal bodyguard, and of course I had no choice but to obey her. A side affect of the curse, no doubt. I must follow the commands of anyone I am under."

"So if I were to give you a command or order, you would have to do it?" Caramadje asked, truly intrigued.

"I am not certain if the spell works that way. But perhaps."

Caramadje thought long and hard. "It may be better off for me to have a third party get rid of Glinda's body, it would save me quite a bit of trouble . . . alright, Tin Man, I'll take you up on your deal. Translate for me five of the most powerful spells in the Grimmerie, and I will gladly hand over Glinda to you for your personal disposal."

"You are very generous, sir," Tin Man said, bowing with respect.

"Come now, at once," he said, stepping off his throne and to Tin Man's side. "I want those spells ready for use as soon as possible."

Caramadje led Tin Man down the main hallways, and into a private room, where a guard presented him with the Grimmerie. He sat down at the desk at once and began to read the spells.

"I should have the spells translated and ready for you soon," Tin Man said. "I only require absolute silence so I may concentrate."

"Of course," Caramadje said. "There will be a guard outside if you need anything."

"Rest assured, I need nothing more than a pen, paper, and time," he said.

"Very well," he said, closing the door half-way. "Oh, and Tin Man, don't betray my trust." He slammed the door shut.

Boq sighed, leaning back in his chair. From underneath the funnel he wore on his head, he pulled out Tip. Tip glanced at the door, and back at Boq.

"You're playing a very dangerous game, Master Boq," he whispered fearfully. "If Caramadje finds out your true intentions, he'll kill her! And you as well!"

"Right now, it's the only chance we have to buy Glinda some time," he whispered as quietly as he could. "Now you must do me a favor and find her. Tell her the plan. I should be ready in two or three days."

"Godspeed, Master Boq." Tip said, leaping out of Boq's hands and onto the floor. Boq crept up to the door and opened it just a crack, enough for the Mouse to slip out of the room and out into the rest of the Palace. Boq prayed the little Mouse could find Glinda in time. He had every bit of faith the Mouse would do everything in his power to help. He just hoped it would be enough.

But he had his own mission to complete. He had to prepare five spells for Caramadje, and he had to make sure they were harmless.

Boq dove straight into the Grimmerie and began to read, mentally translating the strange symbols on the page.

* * *

Glinda didn't know how many hours had passed. Her mind was in a daze, knowing death was upon her soon. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, and she could do nothing to stop them. Her hands hung limply from the tight steel cuffs, and she leaned her back against the cold, unforgiving walls. How she wished Boq was by her side. But no doubt he was chained up and imrisoned somewhere else. And, yet again, it was her fault she was here. She didn't listen to Boq. He told her to run, but she ignored him. She was imprisoned because of her foolishness. She had made a terrible mistake, and she would pay for her mistake with her life.

"I'm so sorry, Elphie," she whispered to the shadows. "I am so sorry. I tried, I really tried. I tried to make things right. But I'll never be as strong as you. I can't make things right. I failed you."

"Have faith, Lady Glinda!"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. "Tip, is that you?!" she nearly shrieked.

"Hush, Glinda, or the guards will spot me!" he whispered, peeping out of the shadows. He scampered up to Glinda and sat on her knee. "Glinda, your metal friend has thought of a marvelous plan to free you!"

Glinda's jaw dropped. "Boq's ok?!"

"He's more than alright, rest assured," Tip said comfortingly. "Now, he sent me to tell you the plan so you know what to do. Boq has pretended to be against you and has gotten on Caramadje's good side. Boq will translate five spells from the Grimmerie in exchange for your life."

Glinda's eyebrow shot up. "But Caramadje wants me dead."

Tip paused, his cloth hands rubbing together uncertainly. "Boq . . . Boq has told Caramadje he wants to take care of you personally. He put Caramadje under the impression that he was furious with you and wants you dead as well. But all of it is just a scheme! It's all an act! Boq must pretend to be against you, or else Caramadje will kill you in an instant!"

Glinda nodded slowly. "Are you sure it will work?"

"As long as we all play along, it should," Tip said quietly. "But I must warn you. When Caramadje releases you to Boq, he . . . he has to keep up the act. You understand, don't you?"

Glinda closed her eyes, nodding slowly. "I . . . I understand."

"But know in your heart he loves you with all of his, and it pains him more than anything to act like he loathes you." Tip said, pressing his paw against Glinda's knee as a sign of comfort.

"Thank you, Master Tip," she said warmly. "I will hold out."

"Be strong and brave, Miss Glinda. All of Oz depends on it," he said.

"I will be strong for Elphie, and for Oz," Glinda resolved.


	7. Chapter 7

Tip remained with Glinda for the next couple of days, sometimes running off to go check on Boq's progress. Glinda was worried sick for the Mouse; if he was caught, Caramadje would no doubt destroy him, but it was the only way Boq could communicate with her. And Glinda had at least that to be thankful for.

"He is almost ready," Tip said one day. "Boq will give Caramadje the spells and he will release you into his posession. But don't forget, Caramadje is under the impression that Boq hates you and wants you dead."

"I know," Glinda sighed. "I hope his plan works. I mean, what if Caramadje wants to see if Boq really . . . finishes me?"

"Boq has thought of that possibility well in advance!" Tip said with a twinkle in his eyes. "He has prepared an illusion spell for you to cast if that should happen. You will appear and even feel dead, and the spell will last long enough to ensure your safety."

Glinda smiled. "Tell Boq he is a genius!"

Tip laughed. "You'll be able to tell him yourself soon enough!"

* * *

Caramadje waited patiently as his guards escorted Boq to the throne room. He let a smile play on his lips. The metal creature had proven himself to be quite useful the last few days, and undyingly loyal. But he still had to fully test the creature, just to be sure. He at first did not think that it was necessary, but caution was key. If the five spells worked, then the Tin Man was free to do with Glinda as he wished. He had made it quite clear to Caramadje just how much he despised the witch. But Caramadje wanted to see just what Tin Man would do with Glinda. Besides, he didn't wnat to miss out on all the fun.

The guards finally entered, escorting the Tin Man to the throne room. He was carrying the Grimmerie along with a folder of papers. Caramadje stepped down and held out his hand, and Tin Man gave him the folder.

"I hope you do not disappoint me," Caramadje warned.

"I assure you, I have translated the spells completely," he said. "I even wrote down a couple of key notes to help you translate the rest of the Grimmerie. It is simple enough, a man of your intelligence should not find it too difficult."

Caramadje smiled. "That is kind of you."

"I owed it to you, sir," he said, taking a bow.

Caramadje opened the folder and glanced inside, finding leafs of papers covered with strange words. He studied one of the spells and raised his eyebrow. "Ah, and what do these spells do?" he asked.

"The first spell creates fire which the caster can control," Tin Man explained. "It was a personal favorite of the Wicked Witch's."

Caramadje's smile grew. "Ah, I remember that! Let me see if I can cast it as well!" He lifted his hand high into the air and started to chant the spell. _"Dominumi elebrius inferinao!"_ A ball of fire erupted in the palm of his hands, the flames licking high into the air. Caramadje jumped with startlement, but began laughing as he tossed the flames from one hand to another. "This is magnificent! Brillian! Tin Man, I cannot thank you enough!"

"The honor is mine," Tin Man said, smiling in triumph. Little did Caramadje know that spell could not harm a living being. "But now it is your turn to uphold your end of the bargain."

"But of course. I am a man of honor, and a man of honor always keeps his word," he said. With a flick of his wrist the flames went out. Caramadje waved to Boq to follow him down the narrow and winding staircase into Southstair, and led him to Glinda's cell. She was covered in dirt and soot, but the spark in her eyes was still there. She looked up and gasped when she saw Boq by Caramadje's side. Remembering the plan, she put on a face of hurt and betrayal.

"So, even you turn against me," she said angrily.

"I was never with you to begin with," Boq hissed venemously. The anger and hatred in Boq's voice was so genuine even Glinda thought he was being serious, but he winked, and smiled. Glinda gave a small nod.

"Glinda, your fate has been decided," Caramadje said wickedly, unlocking her cell door. "In exchange for five translated spells, I will hand you over to Tin man to dispose of you as he pleases."

Glinda's eyes went wide with fear. "Please . . . don't hurt me, have mercy!" she begged.

"I have no mercy for you ever since you destroyed my heart!" Boq roared. He grabbed her throat-gently-and Glinda pretended to cry out with pain and pretended to struggle against Boq's grasp. He leaned in closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"Listen carefully and repeat what I say," he whispered. _"Faradu moronin peresphinix!"_

Glinda closed her eyes, gathering up her strength and willing her magic energy to come forth. _"Faradu moronin peresphinix!"_ she breathed. All at once, her body felt like it was dumped in an ice water bath. She tried to gasp with shock at the sudden chill descending upon her entire body, but her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't move at all and she could feel her heart beat stop in her chest. She began to panic. No, this wasn't right! It couldn't be right! It actually felt . . . as if she died! She couldn't breathe, her heart had stopped beating, and her entire body was cold and ignorant to her demands. She willed her body to move, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch, her entire body limp. Not even her eyes could move.

Boq dropped her to the ground, where her body crumpled up into a small pile. Glinda's mouth was partially open in a small "o" shape, her blue eyes wide and unblinking. Boq towered over her, wearing an expression of triumph. But underneath that mask, Glinda could see his worry and panic.

"Well, that was rather anti-climactic," Caramadje mused.

"What did you expect me to do?" Boq asked annoyed. "She died at my hands, that is enough satisfaction for me."

"I thought you would beat her, or torture her a bit before you finished her for good," Caramadje shrugged. "If I was you, I would have had a little fun with her."

"I'm not like you. And that's not my style," Boq said. "Torturing would have been messy, and I rust quite easily. Besides, strangling her to death satisfied my vengeance. Now, I will dispose of her body." He carefully scooped up Glinda's limp body in his arms and carried her out of the cell.

"And where do you plan on dumping her body?" he asked.

"The river," Boq said without hesitation. "The fish will make quick work of her flesh and the sands will cover her bones. It is ideal for us."

"I like the way you think."

Caramadje followed Boq out of Southstair, guards at their sides the entire time. Glinda was trapped under the spell's command and could only look up at Boq, wondering what he had planned. Boq never looked down at her, but Glinda could sense his uneasiness as well. They approached the Emerald River, just outside of the Emerald City. Boq put Glinda down on the ground and took a rope from the guards, tying her to a very large rock.

"The knot is not tight, you can slip out easily," he whispered to Glinda as he tied her up. "You can't drown under this spell, you'll be safe. Wait until sundown. That's when the spell will wear off. I'll meet you under the bridge then. Just in case, the incantation to break the spell is _avorus denlow."_

Glinda could not respond, but she could hear him, and mentally repeated the incantation in her head. Boq finished tying her up and hefted the rock onto his shoulders, about to throw the rock into the water, when he heard the unmistakeable click of a gun hammer being pulled back. He turned around to see Camaradje pointing a pistol directly at Boq.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled. "I am your ally!"

"What sort of fool do you take me for, Boq?!" he said in a very low voice. "I overheard your little plan! I know you're friends with her! I know you were going to fake her death and try to overthrow me! I am no idiot! And you'll pay for your treachery!"

Caramadje pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Boq square in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. But the bullet failed to penetrate his tin armor, and Boq laughed.

"Fool." he said. "You can't kill me with bullets."

Caramadje smiled. "What did you say to me just a few moments before? Ah, yes, I remember! You rust quite easily! And I know this for a fact!"

Boq took another step back, accidentally stepping into the river. He pulled his foot out quickly, but it wasn't quick enough. By the time he pulled his foot out, it ws covered with a coat of rust. Caramadje laughed harder.

"Men, throw them both into the river!" Caramadje ordered. The guards attacked Boq and shoved him deeper and deeper into the river. Boq thrashed and fought against the men with all his might, throwing off the guards and delivering pwerful blows to their faces. But his movements became slow as the water splashed all over his body. Finally, the guards succeeded in pushing Boq all the way to the river's drop-off point, where the depth of the river instantly dropped from a few feet to thirty. Boq was completely rusted and could not move, falling all the way down to the bottom of the river, his mouth frozen open with a silent scream of agony.

He had failed.

* * *

Caramadje approached Glinda's limp body, poking at her with his gun. She did indeed appear to be dead. Her body was cold and she did not flinch in the slightest to his touch. Perhaps the metal creature really did finish her off. But he would take no chances. He took the rope tied around her body and tightened it as much as possible, making sure she could not break free, if she proved to still be alive. He pushed the rock she was tied to into the river, and finally over the drop-off point. Her body instantly sank to the bottom of the river, where she would surely drown.

He sighed with contempt, with the fact of knowing he had succeeded in defeating his two most dangerous enemies. With those two dead, nothing would stand in his way.

* * *

Glinda floated down to the bottom of the river, the large and heavy rock pulling her further and further down. She could still see and was aware of what had happened, and she knew Boq was at the bottom of the lake with her. If she could cry, she would be weeping until she could no longer cry. Boq had done eerything he could to save her, and she had failed him. Because she did not listen, they were both going to die.

She hit the bottom of the river, and saw Boq lying next to her, his body frozen in place with rust. His mouth was frozen open, crying out silently to the world. His hands and arms reaced up to the surface, as if trying to reach for something, as if trying to protect something. Glida felt her heart shatter upon seeing Boq like this.

_Oh Boq, this is all my fault. I didn't mean for you to die, I am so sorry . . ._

Something suddenly grabbed her from behind and a cold meta blade pressed against her back. Glinda silently screamed with alarm. She couldn't move to protect herself from whatever was attacking her, or even see what was attacking her! She momentarily thought of performing the incantation to reverse the spell so she could fight against the attacker, but what good would that do? She'd drown in minutes.

But the blade pressed against her back cut her free from the ropes that tied her down. A hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her to the surface of the water, but still Glinda could not see who--or what--was saving her. Her attacker--or rescuer, she was't sure anymore-- broke the surface of the water and pulled her to shore, dragging her up onto dry land.

"Oh, come on, come on, wake up," she heard the person say. She could tell it was a man from the sound of his voice, and strangely enough, she thought she recognized it. The man turned her on her back and that's when she got a good look at her rescuer's face.

It was Fiyero!


	8. Chapter 8

Oh sweet Oz! She couldn't believe her eyes! It was Fiyero! Even though he was still in his scarecrow form, she knew it was him! His bright blue eyes, his gentle expression, his green tunic he wore as Captain of the Guards- now battered and frayed beyond recognition, but still! It was him! He was still alive! He had returned! He had rescued her!

He leaned over her and pressed the side of his head to her chest, obviously trying to listen to her heart beat. But he found none, thanks to the spell. "Oh sweet Oz, I'm too late," she could hear him whisper, his cloth hand gently running through her hair. "Glinda . . . I failed. I couldn't save you in time."

Glinda frantically tried to remember the reversal incantation, and mentally screamed it in her head. A_vorus denlow!!_ she mentally cried. All at once invisible flames seemed to sear her body, filling her with renewed warmth and life. She took a big gulp of air, coughing up any water in her mouth. She pushed herself upright, desperately trying to get her breath back.

Fiyero jumped in surprise. "Glinda, you're alright!" he cried. "But how?!"

"Oh, Fiyero!" she said, throwing herself at him, wrapping his arms around his burlap neck. They both collapsed onto the grass, Glinda on top of Fiyero, sobbing mercilessly. "I thought you were dead! But you're alive! Oh thank Lurline, you're alive, Fiyero!"

Fiyero pushed her off, looking rather panicked. "Please, my lady, I am not this Fiyero of which you speak of," he said quickly.

"Drop the act, I know it's you!" she cried. Fiyero sighed and his shoulders slumped downwards in defeat.

"Alright, yes, it's me, happy?" he said.

"No!" Glinda said. "How could you lie to me?! You betrayed me! You betrayed Elphie! You tried to kill her!"

"I tried to save her life!" he screamed, leaping to his feet. "I tried to stop them! I tried to save her! But I couldn't! I failed! I couldn't save her, Lin! I couldn't save her in time!"

Glinda's hands rose to her mouth. "You mean she's . . . she''s really dead?!"

Fiyero lowered his head. "Yes. Elphaba's dead."

Glinda's eyes filled with fresh tears. "Oh god . . . and I had hoped that . . . you weren't dead . . . and she . . ."

"I'm so sorry," he said, pulling her to her feet. "But she's gone."

"Why did you run away?" she asked. "And why did you return?"

"Let me start from the beginning," Fiyero said gently. "I knew Elphaba had saved my life when I was transformed into a scarecrow. I joined Dorothy on her quest because I knew the Wizard would try to use her, and I couldn't let that happen. So I went with her to protect her. And when the Wizard ordered Dorothy to kill Elphaba, I thought it was the perfect opportunity . . . I thought we could fake our deaths and run away, and live together, safe from prying eyes. But . . . it didn't work. Elphaba died before I could reach her. I tried to send her a note, but she never got it in time. I ran away, torn with grief. I couldn't go back to Oz, too many bad memories haunted me. I never forgave myself for not being able to save her. She's dead, and it's my fault."

Glinda placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's mine, too. And I don't blame you. You did what you could. But how did you know I was in danger?"

He smiled. "I overheard the guards talking about a coup, and knew you were in trouble. I followed you and kept an eye on you just in case. And . . . well, here I am." He spread his hands, gesturing to himself. "But what I want to know is how you knew it was me."

Glinda blushed. "Well . . . I was looking through the Grimmerie with Boq . . . and--"

"She saved my life!" Tip said, scampering up and onto Glinda's shoulder. Glinda squealed with delight.

"Tip, you're alright!" she said, cuddling the Mouse. "Oh, I was so worried about you!"

Fiyero eyed the Mouse thoughtfully. "Oh, I see."

"Are you alright? How did you find us?" she asked.

"I was in the prisons when Boq took you to the river. I of course followed you here, but only got here in time to see you getting thrown into the river. And then this fine gentleman showed up, and I think you know the rest!" Tip explained, looking at Fiyero. "Ah, and you must be the Fiyero Lady Glinda speaks so fondly of!"

"Does she now?" Fiyero snickered. She blushed. "But speaking of Boq, how are we going to drag him out of the river?" Fiyero muttered to himself.

"Well, you dragged me out of the river, can't you do the same with Boq?" she asked.

"There's at least a hundred pound difference between you and him," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "I was pushing my strength as is trying to get _you_ out of the river. I may be immortal, but I'm nowhere near as strong as I used to be. And definitely not strong enough to get him."

Glinda thought for a moment. "Well, we can't just leave him there, rusting away for eternity!"

"True," Fiyero said. "Maybe both of us can manage pulling him to shore. I'll dive down and tie a rope around him. Perhaps that will work."

"It's worth a shot," Glinda said. Fiyero nodded and jumped into the water, diving down to the bottom of the river. It was so eerie not needing to breathe, being able to stay underwater as long as he wished, although he was seriously going to need to change his straw after this; wet straw meant mold. He grabbed the rope that had been tied around Glinda and wrapped it around Boq, tightly securing it. He grabbed the other end of the rope and kicked to the surface. Glinda was there to meet him, and both grabbed the end of the rope.

"Ok, on the count of three, pull as hard as you can," Fiyero said. Glinda nodded, wrapping the rope around her hand for a better grip. "One, two, three!"

Glinda pulled as hard as she could, groaning with effort. Fiyero pulled with all his limited strength, and slowly and surely the rope began to move. They took a small step backwards and continued to pull. Glinda's arms screamed in protest, but she wasn't going to give up on her friend. Fiyero was pulling with as much strength as his straw body could manage, and even Tip had grabbed the end of the rope in his mouth and was pulling. They were making very slow progress, but progress nonetheless.

"Come on, come on!" Fiyero muttered, yanking the rope. "We gotta get him out!"

Glinda and Fiyero continued to pull. It was excruciating work, but Glinda was determined to save her friend. Finally, Boq's body could be seen just below the surface, and with a final heave, they pulled him on to shore. He was rusted solid, even moreso when Fiyero had first found him in the forest.

"We're going to need a lot of oil," he muttered.

* * *

Glinda had no idea where Fiyero had found all the oil he did, but she was thankful. Both of them feverently worked to get Boq's limbs working perfectly again. Glinda worked on his jaw and neck while Fiyero worked on his knees and elbows. Boq was helping however he could and moved his jaws to help work in the oil. Soon, he was able to talk.

"Thank you for saving my life," Boq finally managed to save. Glinda chuckled.

"Don't thank me, thank Fiyero," she said, gesturing to him. Fiyero tipped his hat.

Boq grinned. "Once again, you come to my aid."

He shrugged. "Think nothing of it. You would have done the same."

"But thank you anyway."

"Try bending your knee, see if you can move it," Fiyero said, turning his attention back to oiling Boq's joints.

Boq flexed his knee, and it moved a little, with a great deal of creaking and groaning. Fiyero winced at the noise but was happy with the result nonetheless. "Well, at least you can move again. That's progress."

Glinda looked over at Fiyero. "And once we're done with him, we're going to have to change you out of all that wet straw. Don't want you getting all moldy."

Fiyero laughed. "Yes, that would be unpleasant."

"Why did you come back?" Boq asked, finally managing to sit up and start working on his own joints. "And where did you run off to in the first place?"

"That is unimportant," Fiyero said. "All you need to know for now is that I knew you were in danger and came to your aid. But I doubt I'll be of much help."

"Nonsense!" Glinda said. "You are--were--the Captain of the Guards!"

"I've seen what Caramadje can do, from personal experience," he said grimly. "I won't be much of a match against him. But you will."

Glinda jumped. "Me?! But I can't even fight! And you know I'm not very good at magic!"

"Not yet," Fiyero said, pulling out a small glass vile from within his tunic. It was filled with a strange purple liquid that glowed and shined in the sunlight. Glinda looked at it in awe.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Magic," Fiyero said simply. "When I returned to Kiamo Ko to find Elphaba, all I found was this," he said, gesturing to the vile. "And a note. Obviously Elphaba expected someone she trusted to find it. The note explained that right before she died, she transferred all of her magic into this vile, and whoever drinks this liquid will obtain all of her magical powers."

Glinda gasped. "Really?" she whispered.

He nodded. "I double-checked it, and went through a few spell books to see if it was true. It was. She wanted you to have it." He extended his hand, and Glinda took the glass vile cautiously.

"And all I need to do is drink it?" she asked.

He nodded. "But . . . it's not going to be pleasant."

Glinda gulped. Boq placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can do it! I have every bit of faith in you," he said.

She smiled. "Thank you, Boq."

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" Tip chanted, balling his little paws into fists excitedly. Fiyero resisted the urge to smack him.

Glinda laughed at the Mouse. "Don't rush me," she said.

She closed her eyes and took the cap off the vile, inhaling deeply. The vile had a very unusual odor, like nothing Glinda had ever smelled before. It was strangely intoxicating and soothing, but made her hair stand on end. With one swift motion, she put her lips to the mouth of the vile and downed the entire thing in one gulp. Immediately her throat began to burn, and she felt liquid fire course through every vein in her body. She shrieked in agony. It was as if the entire inside of her slender body was engulfed in a firey pit straight from hell. Everything burned, her scalp, her fingers, her chest, everything seemed to be caught in flames. She was dimly aware of Boq and Fiyero yelling at her, but she couldn't hear them over her own shrieks of pain. She clawed at her face, desperate to relieve the fire spreading through her entire body. Something grabbed her arms to restrain her, and she pulled away from her restrainer easily. She writhed on the ground, tears as hot as magma streaming down her face. She begged it to end. The pain was too great for her to handle. Her vision went blurry before everything faded into a sea of blackness.

* * *

"Glinda!! _Glinda_!" Boq cried, gently grabbig her shoulders and waking her. "Glinda, wake up!" But she did not respond. She lay perfectly still on the grass, her eyes closed and her body limp. Furious, he turned on Fiyero and grabbed him by the neck. "This is your fault! You killed her!"

"Boq, shut up!" Fiyero said, more annoyed than angry. "That was supposed to happen, idiot!"

Boq's grasp loosened. "It was?" he asked stupidly.

"Yes. Remember to keep your mouth shut before you say anything about something you don't understand," he growled, kneeling by Glinda's side. "It was a lot of power to take in all at once. She passed out, but she'll be fine."

"You swear?" Boq said, growing worried. "Please, Fiyero, don't let her die. I love her."

Fiyero chuckled. "You made that more than apparent risking your own metal skin for her. I assure you, old friend, she'll be alright. She should only be out for a few minutes."

Boq sat on the grass, staring at Glinda anxiously. He could see her chest rise and fall with deep, even breaths, and that at least put his mind at ease.

"She was screaming," he said hoarsely. "She was in so much pain."

Fiyero nodded sadly. "Like I said before, it wasn't going to be pleasant."

"But what do we do now?" Boq asked.

"_We_ don't do anything. It is you and Glinda who must fight Caramadje together," Fiyero said.

"What?!" Boq said, jumping to his feet. "Fiyero, you just returned from the dead! You can't abandon us now!"

"This is not my fight. It never was," Fiyero said. "It's yours and Glinda's."

"You selfish bastard!" Boq roared, grabbing Fiyero's collar. "We thought you were dead! And now you're just going to leave us again! Why won't you help us?!"

"I already helped you, don't you get it?" Fiyero said. "I saved both yours and Glinda's life! I gave Glinda Elphaba's magic! I already helped you! But I cannot fight your battles! You must fight your own!"

"Boq, listen to him!" Tip said. "Don't you understand? Glinda must fight Camaradje herself!"

"And why can't you help her?" Boq asked Fiyero again.

"It would be best if I remained dead. Glinda must prove herself, and the only way to do that if she were to fight and overthrow Camaradje all on her own. Please, try to understand!"

"I don't!" Boq said, frustrated. "I don't understand!"

Fiyero sighed, obviously frustrated. "Ok, let me try to explain. If I help Glinda fight her battles, she'll never learn how to stand up for herself. She'll never grow stronger. She'll always need someone to lean on. But if no one helps her, she'll be forced to fight by herself, and she'll grow in strength. She'll be a better, braver, and stronger ruler. She must learn how to fight on her own."

"And what if she can't win?" Boq challenged.

Fiyero shook her head. "You mustn't think like that. Glinda _can_ win. But she must believe it herself. She must find it in herself to defeat Caramadje."

"Fiyero, you're not answering my god damn question!" Boq yelled. "What if she can't win?!"

"I'll always be watching from the shadows. If you need me, if I am needed once again, I'll come."

Boq sighed. "But you refuse to help her win this battle directly?" he asked angrily.

"It is for the best," Fiyero said, turning to leave. He stopped a few paces away and turned around, a saddened expression in his eyes. "Tell Glinda . . . I always cared about her."

Boq narrowed his eyes. "So that's it, you're just going to leave us?! Just like that?! Again?! Where will you go?"

"Nowhere," he shrugged. "Everywhere. I can travel wherever I want. I'll wander the Impassible Desert until I'm nothing but dust if I have to. Boq, try to understand, I am dead. I must remain dead."

"I don't," Boq said.

Fiyero turned and walked away, and never looked back.

"You're not going to go after him?" Tip asked curiously.

"Why, should I?" he asked angrily. "I have half a mind to grab him and force him to help us fight!"

"No," Tip said, shaking his head. "Like he said, he'll be watching us from the shadows. If we need him again, he'll come."

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"I have yet to meet a person of his integrity that failed to keep his word," Tip said proudly.


	9. Chapter 9

Glinda groaned, slowly regaining consciousness. Her entire body was numb, her skin crawling with tiny little pin pricks that made her shudder. But underneath her skin, she felt something mysterious and unusual. A warm fire seemed to flow right underneath her soft pink flesh, illuminating her entire body. She felt an incredible amount of energy surging through every fiber of her being. So much energy . . . It then dawned on her. This unknown force she felt flowing through her body was magic. Elphaba's magic, now flowing through her veins, granting her great and terrible power. But Glinda knew enough about magic to control it, for now, at least. She sat up slowly, rubbing her temples.

"Boq?" she said, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

He was instantly at her side,on one knee and gripping her fragile hands gently. "Glinda, are you alright?" he asked quickly. His voice was filled with worry. Glinda smiled, moved by his compassion.

"Yes, I am alright, thank you. Just have a slight headache," she said. Boq grinned, and embraced her.

"Oh, Glinda, I thought I lost you for a moment," he said. "I don't think I could live with myself if you had died."

Glinda wrapped her arms around his metal torso. "Thank you so much. I'll never be able to thank you fully for everything you've done for me. But where is Fiyero?"

At this, Boq pulled away, his metal eyes burning with anger. "He left us," he said angrily. "He said he can't help us fight this battle. But how could he?! He's our friend and he's just going to abandon us without a second thought!"

"Boq, don't be so harsh," Tip said crossly. "His reason for leaving was justifiable. He wanted to ensure Glinda was powerful enough to _earn_ the throne of Oz."

"I didn't even get to say good-bye," Glinda murmured weakly, tears creeping to her eyes. "He's gone, again . . . and I couldn't tell him . . ." She began to cry silently into her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs. "Oh, Boq . . ."

He sighed, putting his hand gently on her shoulder. "He asked me to tell you before he left that he always cared about you," Boq said quietly.

Glinda paused for a moment. "Cared?"

"I think what he meant to say is that he has always thought of you as a very dear friend, someone he could rely on and trust," Tip said. "And he does love you very much, but not in the same way a husband loves his wife. He loves you as a friend."

"And I think we both know who his heart belongs to," Boq said bitterly.

Glinda sighed. "He loves Elphie. I can't be angry at him for that. Boq, please don't be angry at him. I understand why he left. I must do this on my own."

"But you are hardly a match for Caramadje!" Boq said. "He's a skilled fighter, and you don't know much magic."

"I have to try, Boq," Glinda said, looking down at her hands. "I can feel Elphaba's magic . . . I feel stronger now. Boq, I know I can fight him! I know I can win!"

Boq sat up, and studied her with his silver eyes. His mouth curved up in a small, proud smile, and he gripped her hands.

"Then let's do it. Together. We'll both take him down."

Glinda smiled. "Yes. But we need a plan."

Tip chuckled mischieviously. "I have an idea," he said.

* * *

Caramadje savored the view from the Palace rooftops. He overlooked the entire Emerald City in all its glory, shining magnificently in the sunlight. Every shade of green could be seen, from the palest flecks of yellow-green reflecting off the glass of windows to the deepest and darkest greens lurking in the shadows of the stony buildings. It was a sight to behold.

And it was all his. Every last buolding, every citizen inhabiting this green gem-like metropolis was subject to his control. No one dared stand in his way. His vanquishing of that prissy little Glinda the Good ensured the people he was not a force to be trifled with. Whatever opposition he was faced with when he uptook the throne was quickly taken care of. Their bodies hung in the barracks for all to see, reminding them exactly who was in charge.

Caramadje finally had it all. Power, wealth, status, a name. Everything he had been denied of for so long. He laughed, beckoning one of his servants.

"I believe we had one last rebel to take care of," he said to the servant. "Bring him in!"

"The rebel is female, sir," the servant corrected.

Caramadje clutched his throat tightly, crippling him to his knees. "Do not _dare_ correct me, is that understood?!"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty," the servant choked out.

"Good," He released his grip. "Now go before I decide to finish _you_!"

The servant quickly ran out of the room, nearly stumbling over his own two feet in his haste. Caramadje laughed to himself at the fool's fearful reaction. Oh yes, he could get quite used to this.

Only a few moments later the servant returned, dragging behind him a woman with long graying hair and a thin, fragile frame. She was clothed in filthy shawls and her teeth- however few were left- were yellow and rotten. But her glaze-blue eyes still shone with fire.

"So," Caramadje said in a quiet deadly voice. "You're the rebel who's trying to get me off the throne!"

"The throne does not belong to you!" she shrieked, pointing a long, knobby finger at him, her wrinkly hand shaking with arthritis and crippling old age. "The throne belongs to the fair lady Glinda!"

"Glinda is dead," he said cooly. "I am now in control. Now you must either submit to my rule or perish by my hand!"

"You're cruel! Corrupt! Evil! You do not deserve to be called 'Your Highness!' " she said. "I will never submit to a dog like you!"

Caramadje struck her hard across the face, sending her crashing to the floor. She groaned in pain, the fall obviously taking a heavy toll on her old and weak bones.

"Guards," Caramadje called out, and instantly three appeared at the door. "Take this woman and make an example out of her. I'll have no one defy my orders as long as I a Emperor of Oz!"

* * *

Tip peered around the corner of the building, scouting for any guards. Thanks to his new body, he could see in color, whereas he could only see in shades of grey. How marvelous the city was with such color! It took a lot of self control not to wander around the city and witness its true glory, but his mission with Lady Glinda was a constant reminder for his true objective. Keeping close to the edges of the building, he ran up and down the streets, making sure no guards were in sight. Once positive that it was clear, he ran back to Glinda and Boq.

"It's clear, my Lady," he said.

"How can we be sure it's really you?" Glinda teased. Boq shot her a disapproving look, which immediately melted into a smile.

The trio- the strangest trio since Dorothy's arrival, surely- quickly darted across the streets, keeping to the shadows and to the lesser-known alleys. They were in the slums of the Emerald City, shacks barely suitable for habitation, surrounded them with the feel of closing in on them, as if they were ready to drop down on them and consume them. Glinda suddenly smelled something very, very foul in the air, something so horrible she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Glinda, what's the matter?" Boq asked.

"Can't you smell it?" she said fearfully. "It's awful! It's the most dreadful thing I have ever smelled!"

Boq and Tip exchanged glances. "I'm sorry, Glinda, but we don't have that kind of luxury anymore," Boq said sadly.

Glinda felt immediaely ashamed. "I'm so sorry, I forgot."

"No apologies needed," Tip said. "But what is this smell you speak of?"

She shook her head. "I can't even describe it," she said, covering her nose with her hands. "But it's coming this way."

She lead the two down the alleys, closer to the source. It grew stronger and stronger, making her want to gag. But she kept going. She needed to know what it was.

The smell lead her to an alley off to the side, almost hidden in the rugged debris of the slums. Glinda took one look down the alley and screamed. She turned away, where Boq instantly envelopped her in his arms, shielding her away from the horrible sight.

"Mother of the Unnamed God," Tip whispered, his voice trembling in fear.

Down the alley were at least ten bodies, all lined in a row. They were nailed through the wrists and feet to crosses and hoisted high above the streets. Their mouths were sewn shut, their ears and hands had been cut off, and their eyes had been stabbed, leaving bloody sockets in their place. A sign hung above them, written with the blood from the bodies.

_**SEE NO EVIL**_

_**HEAR NO EVIL **_

_**SPEAK NO EVIL **_

_**DO NO EVIL**_

Boq stared in horror at the bodies. "Caramadje . . . he must have done this."

"How could he do such a thing?!" Glinda weeped. "How could he torture these people like this?!"

"It's obviously a warning to the rest of the city," Tip said, gaping in horror at the bodies. "Obey, or be destroyed."

Glinda's hands clenched to fists, her sorrow melting away and giving into absolute anger. "I'll make him pay," she said, her voice quivering with fury. "I'll make him pay for what he has done! Caramadje will not get away with this! I'll kill him!"

Boq continued to comfort Glinda, and he too was beginning to feel Glinda's fury. "We'll take him down, that is for certain. And if I must go down with him, so be it! I won't let that madman continue this insanity!"

Glinda pulled away from Boq, continuing their journey down the streets. "Come, I want to kill that murderer before dark," she said. "I will avenge these heinous slaughters!"

Boq's eyes went wide with surprise. He had never heard Glinda so . . . headstrong. But she had her mission in mind and nothing was going to stop her.

Boq followed her, scooping Tip up in his hands. He made a silent vow to himself that he wouldn't let anyone, especially Caramadje, hurt his love.

No matter the cost.

* * *

Fiyero had followed them from a distance, just to make sure nothing would happen to them. He kept his promise; watch from the shadows, do not directly intervene if it can be avoided. And he too had seen te bodies. The sight made him cringe with pain, with nightmarish memories.

About the time Caramadje had tortured _him_ to near death. He closed his eyes, the memories washing before his eyes like an uncontrollable flood.

_Blood. Pain. So much blood, so much pain. It was the last thing he would ever feel._

His fists clenched with anger. These people had been brutally crucified for the world to see and gawk at. Even death couldn't bring them an end to their suffering. No one deserved this, especially not innocent civilians.

But he had seen the look on Glinda's face, had heard her voice, and what she had said. She sounded so much like his dear Fae . . . or perhaps it was only his mind playing trick. But one thing was for certain.

Glinda was determined to avenge these deaths.

Fiyero smiled, and slipped back to the shadows.


	10. Chapter 10

Glinda crept closer to the Palace, pressing her back against a building wall. Boq was right behind her, with Tip perched on his shoulder. She glanced back at him, and he gave her a reassuring nod. Glinda nodded in reply, and took a deep breath. They were so close to the Palace now. Luckily, there were very few guards stationed around the place. Obviously Caramadje wasn't expecting any attacks. Over-confident and stuck up bastard. It would be the worst mistake he would ever make.

Glinda closed her eyes, conjuring up her magic. It was so much easier to cast spells now, it hardly required any concentration, just a single thought. A flame suddenly developed in her hand, engulfing her entire forearm in the orange fire. Glinda grinned confidently, getting ready to attack. The best course of action was through a side door located on the west end of the palace. Unfortunately, there was a guard. But that could easily be remedied.

Glinda threw the fistful of flames off into another street, where it exploded with a very loud bang. The guard was instantly alerted, and ran off to the street where the explosion came from.

"Now is our chance, let's move!" Boq whispered in Glinda's ear. Glinda didn't hesitate. She and Boq both ran quickly to the door. She tried the handle, but it was locked. She looked back at Boq, who nodded with understandment.

"You may want to step back a bit," he said. Glinda took several steps backwards, taking Tip into her hands as she did so. Boq took a few steps back as well, and sprinted as fast as he could at the door, knocking it in. The door bursted off of its hinge and clattered to the floor.

"Come on, someone must have heard that," Boq said, taking Glinda's hand. She stepped carefully over the door, smiling with approval.

"Your tin body comes quite in handy," she said teasingly.

He laughed. "Yes, it does have a couple perks."

Glinda and Boq raced down the palace cooridors as silently as they could, but unfortunately, Boq was making a huge racket with his metal feet banging on the tile floor. Glinda grimanced, and tugged his arm, motioning for him to stop.

"We're makin gtoo much noise running," she whispered to him. "Either we walk slower to minimize our chances of getting caught, or we continue running and get caught."

Boq sighed heavily. "You're right. I'm an idiot," he growled, angry at himself for being so careless.

"No you're not," Glinda said, placing her hand gently at the side of his face. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before Boq turned away, breakin gthe rising tension between the two.

"We . . . we better hurry," Boq muttered quickly. She nodded, following quickly behind him. "Where do you think he is?" he asked her quietly.

"If I know a narcissist prick like Caramadje, he's probably in the throne room," Glinda said aggressively.

Boq nodded. "Ok, any plan of attack so far?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Glinda said. "I approach him, and demand he duel me."

"Glinda, are you crazy?!" Boq yelled. "He'll smite you on the spot! He'll kill you the moment he sees you!"

"I know people like him, Boq," she said steadily. "He wouldn't refuse a challenge."

"Even if he does fight you, he's not going to fight fair," Boq said. "He's not going to let you simply beat him and take the throne in an even fight!"

"Then I'm simply going to have to kill him when I fight him before he can kill me," Glinda resolved. "Boq, I'm asking you to trust me. I know I'm strong enough to take him. I need you to believe that, too."

Boq wrapped his arms around her waist tightly. "Glinda, I don't want to lose you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"It's ok, trust me," she whispered in his ear. "I know what I'm doing. I may not have been good at sorcery back in college, but I feel like I _know_ what to do. It's like I've lived with all this power all my life, and I know how to use it! I know how to defeat Caramadje. But I need you to believe it as well."

Boq sighed, his eyes softening. "Where is that young and naive Galinda I knew back at Shiz?" he said quietly.

"She died a long time ago," she said. "It's Glinda now." She cast him a sideways glance. "You're not disappointed, are you?"

"Far from it," he said. He brought his body cloer to hers and leaned his head towards her. Glinda only paused for a moment before she pressed her lips firmly over Boq's. She could feel him tense slightly before he relaxed, his grip tightening reassuringly. The kiss was brief but passionate, and Glinda pulled away, cupping the side of his face with her delicate hand.

"Trust me," she whispered in his ear.

Boq kissed her forehead. "I do."

Glinda slipped out of his grasp, casting one last longing and loving look back at him before she disappeared down the hallways.

Boq sighed with content. Tip giggled childishly.

"Well, aren't you Mr. Prince Charming," he laughed.

Boq couldn't keep himself from smiling. "Yeah, I guess so. But come on, we have to help Glinda."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"We need to take out all the guards so they can't help Caramadje," Boq said in a determined voice. He moved as quietly as he could around the palace, spotting a guard patrolling one of the halls. As silently as he could, he snuck up behind the guard. The guard sensed his presence and turned abruptly. Boq delivered a powerful punch to the guard's face, knocking him unconcious. He then dragged the guard over to a nearby room to hide him from any stray eyes.

"Well, that's one down," Tip said reassuringly.

"Yeah, and only Lurline knows how many are left," Boq muttered. He looked down at his tin hands. "I hope I'm bullet-proof," he said quietly.

* * *

Glinda paced herself, taking deep, calming breaths as she approached the throne room. Her heart was thundering in her chest, her hands were shaking uncontrollably, and her knees felt as if they were going to give any second. Glinda paused, desperately trying to steady her nerves, but nothing could calm her racing heart. She was downright terrified.

Everything she said earlier was more to assure herself rather than Boq. She could feel Elphaba's magic giving her more power than she ever felt before, but she still had doubts. What if she couldn't do it? What if she wasn't strong enough? What if she failed?

"Come on, Glinda, thoughts like that aren't helping," she muttered to herself. "You can't have doubts. You can't be afraid. You have to be strong! Remember your promise to Elphie! You promised you'd be strong for her! Come on, Glin, you can do it!"

She pushed herself onwards, forcing herself to move forwards. She managed to relax slightly, still taking deep, soothing breaths to steady her nerves. She was in control. She had great power. She could do this! She could fight Caramadje and she could win!

The throne room was so close now. And very few guards around, surprisingly. Caramadje definitely had his guard down. Glinda knew he wasn't expecting anyone to show up, least of all challenge him to a duel. She marched down the hallway with as much confidence as she could manage and slammed the doors wide open.

"CARAMADJE!" she roared at the top of her voice.

Caramadje had been sitting on the throne until she entered. When the doors burst open, he jumped off his seat, staring in horror and genuine disbelief at Glinda as she bravely marched up to him. Her crystaline sapphire eyes burned with fires of determination.

Caramadje was caught speachless. "But . . . you're dead," he stuttered.

"Does it look like I'm dead?" she snarled viciously.

He laughed, quickly recovering from his shock. "Well, it does indeed look like you're alive and well. I must rememer to be more thorough when I dispose of my enemies. No matter. I can kill you with a thought, if I desired."

"Oh, but you can't kill poor little me just like that," Glinda said calmly.

"Oh? And why is that?" he asked.

"I challenge you to a duel for the throne of Oz," she said.

Caramadje laughed loudly. "Oh, my dear sweet little princess, do you have any idea who you are going up against?!"

"I am perfectly aware of your heinous crimes," she said sharply. "I saw only moments ago the massacred bodies of the people you slaughtered!"

Caramadje chuckled, stepping down off his throne and circling around Glinda. She didn't move, but bravely held her ground. "It would be such a shame, such a waste, to kill a pretty little thing such as yourself," he said, stopping directly behind her. He fingered a lock of her softly curling golden hair and leaned in close to her neck, his hot breath on her bare neck. Glinda supressed a shudder of disgust. "I have a better idea. Why don't I spare your life, and we can rule this country side-by-side, hand-in-hand? Oz can be our oyster, to use as we wish! Think of what we can do together! We can do so much! Achieve great things! Achieve terrible things! All with you by my side! You'll be a woman of status and power once again. And all you have to do is be my queen, and submit to only my rule."

"Such a tempting offer," she said bitterly, showing her sarcasm clearly. "But I'm afraid I must decline."

"Glinda, my sweet, please reconsider," he urged, whispering in her ear. He was so close to her, his hands on her shoulders, her lips nearly touching her ear. "You don't want to end up like your precious fiance, now, do you? I can slaughter you without even breaking a sweat. It'll be slow, and painful. I want to spare you of the pain and humiliation. But if you're so insistent . . ."

"Yes," Glinda said firmly, tired of Caramadje's game. She pulled away violently, giving him a cold glare. "I insist! I will never bow down to a dog like you! You're cruel and merciless! And you must be stopped!"

Caramadje spread his hands. "Very well, if you insist. It's a pity such a beautiful woman like yourself should go to waste." He turned to the door. "GUARDS!!" he shouted at the top of his voice. There was no response. Caramadje twisted around, angrily staring out the throne room doors. "GUARDS! COME AT ONCE!" he shouted again.

Footsteps could be heard, gradually growing louder and louder. At first, Glinda's throat caught in her throat, fearing the worst. What if guards did show up and kill her? No matter, she would simply have to fight them off, as well.

And that begged the question, where was Boq?!

The footsteps grew louder and louder, until a figure emerged in the doorway. Glinda let out a cry of relief.

It was Boq! Holding a gun, apparently taken from one of the guards.

"Your um, _personal body guards_ are taking a temporary vacation," he said coldly, a small smile on his metal features. "They should return in, oh, about three hours with some serious head injuries and permanent loss of memory!"

"You son of a bitch, you're alive, too?!" Caramadje roared.

"He's all yours, my Lady," Boq said, giving her an exaggerated bow. Glinda smiled, and nodded.

"You heard him, Caramadje. This is between you and me!" Glinda said, summoning up her magic and focusing her energy to form in the palm of her hands, creating a yellowish glow around her hands.

"You have sentenced your own death!" Caramadje snarled, preparing to attack.

"Ready whenever you are," Glinda whispered.

* * *

**Cue epic battle music!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

Glinda and Caramadje circled each other, keeping a good distance between each other. Caramadje was growling in anger at his failed plan to wipe out Glinda and Boq, and Glinda knew this would make him dangerous. But at the same time, it could be to her advantage. He would be reckless and careless. Glinda had to make sure she was always in control. And she knew if she made Caramadje angrier, the more careless he would get. And all the more dangerous. It was a deadly game, but a necessary one she had to play. She had to be careful.

"Tell me, Caramadje," she said slowly, focusing her energy into the palms of her hands. "How does it feel to have your grand and brilliant plans thwarted by a pretty little blond princess such as myself?"

She could clearly see him stiffen in anger, but he laughed. "I'm going to feel a whole lot better once I'm finished with you!"

He charged, his hands glowing brightly with magic. Glinda immediately raised her own hands in defense, creating a magical barrier between herself and him. He hit her shield head-on, and the impact caused Glinda's shield to implode, throwing her half-way across the room. She hit the tile floor hard and slid a good fifteen feet from where she had been standing. Her vision swam slightly as she fought to remain conscious.

She had seriously underestimated Caramadje, he was just as powerful as she was. If that one single attack nearly caused her to pass out . . . she was going to need to be a lot more careful. She rose, steadying herself, and preparing to attack. Caramadje approached her, smiling triumphantly.

"I know it's not proper courtesy to attack an enemy while they're on the ground," he said, raising his hands to shoulder level. "So I decided to wait until you were back on your feet before I could knock you over once again!"

"Go ahead and try!" Glinda challenged, throwing a fistful of magic at him. He easily dodged it, and sent one of his own spells directly at her. She was hit in the side, and crashed gainst a stone pillar. She let out a cry of pain as she fell to the ground.

"GLINDA!" Boq cried. He charged at Caramadje, the gun still in his hands. He was about to swing the rifle at him when Caramadje hit him with a powerful spell, blowing him to the other side of the throne room. Boq was back on his feet in seconds, the spell doing nothing more than slightly denting his cylindrical tin torso. Caramadje raised his hands and ropes suddenly appeared out of thin air with a burst of yellow light. The ropes immediately wrapped around Boq, tying him up. Boq crashed to the ground, completely immobile. He writhed and growled angrily, but the ropes were too strong even for him to break.

"Ah, ah, ah," Caramadje cautioned with a cold laugh. "This is a _duel_. One on one only. We can't have any outsiders helping out, can we?"

Boq growled under his breath, but still tried to break free of the enchanted ropes. Tip scuttled up to Boq's side.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here soon," he whispered to him. He then ran around behind Boq and began chewing at the ropes viciously. It was lucky he still had sharp teeth to chew with in his new form.

Caramadje turned back to Glinda, who was back on her feet, shaken, but not out. Glinda wasn't about to give up yet. But she needed a plan. Caramadje was definitely the better fighter and he had the upper hand. But there must be _something_ she could use against him.

He attacked again, this time Glinda was able to effectively block his attack. She formed a ball of fire in her hands and threw it at Caramadje. She was lucky this time. The flames seared over his arm, burning the upper-side of his forearm badly. Caramadje backed away, hissing with pain and clutched his arm. He glared at Glinda furiously. She could feel herself take a step backwards. He was going to get more dangerous and reckless . . . she had to use this against him!

He threw more bursts of magic at her. Glinda managed to duck out of the way and rolled off to the side, seeking refuge behind another pillar.

"Come on out, you little bitch!" he roared. An energy blast struck the stone pillar, sending dust and fragments of plaster flying in all directions. Glinda ran out from behind the pillar and threw a magic spell at Caramadje. He deflected it with an energy shield and returned with a spell of his own. Glinda just barely managed to twist out of its way. She could feel the energy from the spell tingling the skin on her neck as it grazed her head. Glinda fell to one knee and shot two smaller energy spells at him, one at his knees, the other at his head. Amazingly, Caramadje was able to dodge them both.

"You're good, I'll give you that," Caramadje sneered. "I haven't killed you yet! I guess I'll just have to try a little harder!"

He clapped both his hands together and a large ball of lightning formed in his hands. He hefted the ball of lightning high above his head and threw it with all his might at Glinda. She leaped out of the way, hitting the floor hard and rolling off to the side. The lightning seared the hem of her dress, but sheknew she was lucky to escape a direct blow. She turned and looked over her shoulder. There was a large black streak on the floor where the lightning had struck She shuddered, thinking what would have happened to her had she not gotten out of the way in time. She leapt to her feet, forming a similar ball of energy in her fist and throwing it at Caramadje. He blocked it with a simple wave of his hand.

"Silly girl, you think you can defeat me just like that?" he mused, slowly approaching her. "You're useless! Talentless! Weak!"

Glinda gritted her teeth, focusing her anger and shaping her fury into powerful magic. The magic balled in her fists and she charged at Caramadje, tackling him head-on and plowing the magic straight into his chest. The impact sent him crashing to the floor, his skin badly bruised and burned. He groaned with pain. Glinda placed her foot on his chest, pinning him to the ground, her hand raised and ready to throw a fistful of flames at his face.

"Give up, Caramadje," she said. "You've lost."

He laughed. "Think again, my little princess!" His arms shot up and with a surge of magic, he threw her off his body. The blast sent her flying across the room, cracking her head against the throne and knocking her unconcious. She slumped to the ground, limp and unmoving.

He stood, laughing quietly to himself, filled with pride. "Well, I tried to warn her, but no one ever listens to poor old me!" he snickered. "Time to finish this, once and for all!" He grabbed Glinda's neck and lifted her up to eye-level, forming a spell in his fist, ready to finish her off once and for all.

A cold, vice-like hand suddenly clamped around his arm, stopping him. He turned.

"That's not very nice," Boq said coldly. He then punched Caramadje as hard as he could in the face, sending Caramadje reeling. He managed to stay on his feet, but the punch had broken his nose, and he was bleeding heavily. He quickly muttered a healing spell, stopping the blood. Boq advanced on him, his silver eyes glowing with fury.

"No one hurts Glinda while I'm still alive!" he growled. "Least of all some sick narcissist prick like yourself!"

Caramadje threw a powerful blast of energy at him. The spell hit dead-on, but it had no affect on Boq. He didn't even slow his steps. Caramadje hit him again and again with spells, but they continued to have no affect. Boq smiled inwardly.

"Why won't you die?!" Caramadje growled. He threw a final blow at Boq before his tin hand clamped around his throat.

"I am made from magic," Boq said quietly. "And I am made of metal. Your spells have no affect on me!" Boq threw Caramadje across the floor. He skidded to a halt just a few feet away from Glinda. She was starting to come to, moaning and stirring slightly. Caramadje leapt to his feet, ready to attack Glinda, but Boq grabbed his collar and pinned his arms behind his back.

"You're not getting off that easy!" he growled. "I'll make sure you'll pay for hurting her!"

Caramadje struggled to free himself of Boq's grasp. "You selfish lying cheater!" he roared. "This was supposed to be _my_ fight! No one was supposed to interfere!"

"The rules changed," Boq said coldly. "You think I would just willingly stand back and watch you kill the woman I love?!"

Glinda was now conscious, and rose to her feet, looking at Boq and Caramadje. "Boq, let him go," she commanded gently.

Boq looked at her. "But . . . why? We have him! We can throw him in prison now! We can lock him up!" he said, his voice rising with panic.

"This is a duel," she said calmly. "A fight to the death. And I'm going to have to ask you not to interfere again."

Boq's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious!"

Caramadje laughed, twisting out of Boq's grasp. "You are unbelievably dense!" he laughed. "You don't stand a chance against me! Or am I going to have to kill you to prove it?!"

Glinda attacked him with a ball of energy, skimming the side of his torso. Caramadje barely managed to dodge the spell and fired back with one of his own. Glinda formed an energy shield and deflected his spell, quickly firing her own. Caramadje dodged it, rolling out of the way. He shot a fire spell low at her feet. Glinda managed to jump over it and avoid the flames.

The two entered a melee, attacking, blocking, dodging, repeating moves again and again. They were both landing hits on the opponent, Glinda managing to hit Caramadje's shoulder with an energy blast, Caramadje injuring Glinda's leg with a fire spell. The contest was no longer who was more powerful. It was now who could survive and endure the longest.

Glinda tried to formulate some sort of strategy. How can she defeat Caramadje?! He was easily blocking her spells. She had to find a way around it.

Wait! The pillar! The pillar Caramadje had fired at! It was now significantly weaker, and with one well-placed grappling spell, she might just be able to make the pillar come crashing down.

She maneuvered over to in front of the pillar, stepping slowly as not to be too obvious with her plan. But Caramadje was clueless; wherever she went, he followed her. All the while they exhanged blows while desperately trying to shield themselves from the other's attacks.

She managed to move so Caramadje was directly between her and the pillar. Now was her chance! Summoning up all of her energy, beams of light shot around her hands and wrapped around the pillar. Caramadje laughed.

"You missed me!" he roared.

"What makes you think I was aiming at you?" she growled. And with as much strength asher slim and frail body could manage, she pulled. Her magic enhanced her strength a thousandfold, and the pillar came loose of its stand, and began to topple over.

Caramadje turned, and stared up at the pillar in horror. He let out an agonizing streak as thousands of pounds of stone fell on top of him, crushing him to death.

Smoke and dust filled the room, temporarily blinding Glinda. She coughed. She couldn't even see her own hands.

"Boq?!" she called out. "Boq, where are you?!"

A cold hand gently pressed on her shoulder. She turned.

"I'm right here," he whispered, and his tin arms wrapped around her frame, pressing her body close to his comfortingly.

"It's all over," she whispered. "He's dead."

"Yes, it's finally over," he said proudly. "Oh, Glinda, I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you!"

She smiled, closing her eyes. "Yes . . . I did it . . . I defeated . . ." she muttered weakly.

"Shh," Boq whispered. "You must be exhausted. Close your eyes and rest. You deserve it."

"I think I'll like that very much," she whispered in a tired voice, slipping into a deep slumber, all of the spells finally taking its toll on her body.

Boq laughed quietly, picking her up in his arms, her head leaning against his chest. He smiled down at the beautiful angel he held in his arms. She ma be bruised, burned, and covered with dust, but she was still the same glorious Good Witch he had known for so long.

Tip scuttled next to Boq, climbing up his leg and onto his shoulder. "I was just checking through the rubble, to make sure he was dead," he said quietly.

"And?" Boq said.

Tip smiled. "Caramadje's dead! She really did it! She defeated him!"

Boq's smile grew wider. "She did a marvelous job. And of course, thank you, as well. You helped us defeat him. Thank you."

The Mouse grinned. "You did all the work!" He looked down at Glinda. "And may I say you have never quite looked so heroic until now, with you carrying her in your arms?" he added slyly.

Boq laughed. Yes, indeed. He was the knight in shining armor, and she was the beautiful princess.

But it wasn't the knight that had slayed the monster. It was the princess.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, y'all! This chapter's a little short, I know, I'm sorry, but I struck a pretty massive writer's block right now, so hopefully next chapter will be a bit longer and more meaty!**

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* * *

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_"Ok, now that we're best friends, I've decided to make you my new project!" Glinda sqealed with delight._

_A look of absolute horror plastered her roommate's face. "Um . . . that's ok, you really don't have to do that . . ."_

_"I know, that's what makes me so nice!" she giggled. "I'm going to beautify you! I just _need _to help you Elphie! You mind if I call you that? Elphie?"_

_"It's kinda perky," she muttered uneasily._

_"Then it's perfect!" Glinda started undoing Elphaba's braided hair. "Ooh, your hair is so nice and thick! You shouldn't tie it back so much! Just let it all hang! You can borrow a few of my headbands if you want!"_

_"As long as they're not pink," Elphaba muttered._

_"Oh, hush," Glinda said. She finished with her hair and was now pulling out a few sticks of lipstick, all in different shades of pink. "Ok, we're going to skip the foundation, since I don't have any green-toned make-over, mind you. So lipstick! Nothing too bright, how about a nice soft pale pink! A touch of glitter I think would look lovely."_

_"I don't do sparkly glitter," Elphaba said firmly, but she would hear none of it. Glinda leaned over and held Elphaba's shoulder with one hand and started gently smearing the lipstick over her thin lips._

_"Pout your lips, pretty please," Glinda said, and Elphaba reluctantly obliged. Once finished, GLinda sprinkled a dash of blush over her prominent cheekbones and stepped back to admire her handiwork. _

_"Ah, only one thing missing!" Glinda said, pulling out the flower barret in her golden hair. She clipped it into Elphaba's hair, and smiled._

_"Wow, pink goes good with green!" she squealed, and handed Elphaba a mirror. "Look at yourself, Elphie! You're beautiful!"_

_Glinda would never forget her face as long as she lived. She was so happy. A genuine smile crossed her face, her eyes sparkled with joy, and she seemed to almost glow. Elphaba finally saw wha Glinda had seen; she was beautiful. _

_Glinda, I am so proud of you . . ._

She woke, feeling slightly out of it, her head spinning just a bit as she sat up. The dream flashed through her mind briefly. The day she and Elphie had become friends. She would never forget that night . . .

Glinda sighed, and laid back against the pillows. Her entire body was aching and sore, dark bruses covered her arms and chest, and her right hand was wrapped in banadges, having been burned from the fires in the fight.

The fight . . . it all came back to her. She had defeated Caramadje! She had overthrown that corrupt and cruel tyrant from the throne and officially re-established herself as Empress of Oz! She smiled and closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax for the first time in a very long time.

"Good to see you're finally awake," Tip chirped.

Glinda turned and looked over at her nightstand, where Tip was. She grinned.

"How long have you been there?" she asked.

"Ever since you passed out. You've been out for four days."

"Four days?!" Glinda exclaimed, sitting up abruptly. Her vision swam, and she fell back against the pillows. "I've been out for that long?" she murmured.

Tip laughed. "Boq's been worried sick about you, but we all knew you'd be fine after some proper rest."

"How's he been?" Glinda asked.

"Very good, he temporarily took your position as ruler until you fully recovered. He assured the people you were alive and well and that you successfully vanquished Caramadje."

"That's good to hear," she said. "And once I get back on my feet, you and Boq are going to be my first project."

"Glinda, I said it before and I'll say it again; you don't need to worry about us. Worry about the rest of Oz. We can wait," Tip said kindly. "Your job is to help the peopl, not squabble over something so meager."

"But you are citizens of Oz, and you need my help, and I am going to help you," Glinda said firmly.

Tip sighed in defeat, a small smile on his face. "Well, when you've got your mind set on something, there's not really anything I can do to change it, is there?"

"No," Glinda said, smiling.

Tip jumed off the nightstand. "I'll go get Boq. He'll be wanting to see you."

"I'd like to see him, too," Glinda said, unable to stop the fluttering feeling in her heart. How she longed to see him again. She wanted him by her side. She couldn't possibly thank him enough for all he'd done for her. But there was one way she could show him her gratitude.

She was going to change him back.

"I thought that Mouse would never leave."

Glinda jumped, and turned towards the window. Sitting on the windowsill was Fiyero, a very proud look on his face.

"I knew you could do it, Glinda."

"Oh, Fiyero, it is good to see you again!" she said. "I never did get to say good-bye last time."

"I couldn't stay any longer than I did, or else you might have managed to convince me to help you fight," he laughed. "You have that affect on people."

Glinda tried to pull herself out of bed and to her feet, but Fiyero immediately jumped to her side, gently pushing her back into bed.

"Don't try to get up, you need rest," he said.

Glinda looked up at him and clutched his cloth hand. "Fiyero, I'm going to change Tip back . . . I can change you back, too."

Fiyero laughed. "And what, turn into the dead Prince?" He shook his head. "That wouldn't do. People would just try to kill me again."

"We can change what you look like!" Glinda said. "Change your hair and eye color! No one would know!"

Fiyero shook his head. "I'm sorry, Glinda, but I can't take that risk. Too much is at stake. You understand that, don't you?"

Glinda lowered her head sadly. "I want to make you happy."

"Glinda, I am happy."

"You're lying, Fiyero. I'm not an idiot. And don't try to tell me otherwise."

Fiyero's shoulders slumed to his side. "Glinda, I can't be human again, not if you value my life. If anyone were to discover that I--a traitor and ally of the Wicked Witch of the West--was alive, they'd kill me on sight. I may not be completely happy being a scarecrow, but at least I'm alive."

Glinda fidgeted with her hands. "But if I were to discover a cure . . . a way to change you back to the way you were . . . would you do it?"

Fiyero lowered his head, deep in thought. "I . . . I don't know, I'd have to think about that." He jumped up on the windowsill and turned, ready to make his exit.

"Wait!! How can I contact you?" Glinda asked.

"You can't," Fiyero said. "But remember, I am always watching from the shadows." And with that, he jumped out the window and was gone.

Not a second later, the door burst open and in flew Boq, the biggest smile on his face. "Glinda! You're ok!" he said happily, taking her tands in his own.

She giggled. "Yes, Boq, I'm perfectly fine!" He gave her a gentle hug, and she returned the gesture, leaning her head against his shoulder. "And I'll be back on my feet again as soon as possible!"

"Alright,but try torest a little first," Boq said. "You took, erm, quite a beating in that fight. But I'm more than happy to hear you're doing ok. You need anything? Something to eat? A drink?"

"I am pretty hungry," Glinda admitted.

"Then I'll be right back with some supper." Boq dashed out of the room, leaving Tip and Glinda alone in the bedroom. Tip laughed quietly.

"He's a great man," Tip said.

Glinda blushed. "I know. That settles it, I'm _definitely_ turning him back!"


	13. Chapter 13

Glinda was back on her feet in only two days, feeling just as perky and energetic as always. She was also filled with much more determination and more resolve than before, wanting to prove to herself and to all of Oz just how capable she was. She attacked any government issues with firey enthusiasm and was quick on her feet.

Needless to say, the people of Oz were very impressed. Boq, on the other hand, couldn't be prouder to be working side-by-side with her.

"Glinda, have I told you lately how proud of you I am?" Boq asked her sheepishly.

"Only every five minutes," she giggled. "Thanks, sweetie. But there's still so much I need to do."

"You're going to do great, I know you will," Boq said, pressing his hands reassuringly on her shoulders.

Glinda cast her gaze downwards and placed her own hand on top of his. "Boq . . . there is one thing troubling me . . ."

"What is it?" he asked immediately in a soft tender voice.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and fearful. "I . . . I'm not remorseful at all that I killed someone!" she said, her eyes tearing up.

"Hey, it's ok," Boq said gently, pulling her body close to his. "No one would be bothered at all. He was a cruel man and killed several people. He would have killed you and me, you know that. You did what you had to do."

"I know that, Boq, but I don't feel guilty at all!" she cried. "That's really bothering me! I don't care if he was the baddest man in history! Shouldn't I feel _something_?"

"Maybe there's a reason why you're not feeling guilty," Boq said gently. "Maybe it's because you're not supposed to."

"But a life is still a life and I took his away!"

"And all for the better. I don't think I need to remind you what Caramadje is capable of. Glinda, there are very evil people out there in the world. And people like that either need to be locked up . . . or--"

"Then we should have put him in jail instead of killed him!" Glinda protested.

"He would have killed you before you would have gotten the chance," Boq said.

"That still doesn't mean I couldn't have tried," she muttered bitterly.

Boq strokjed her hair comfortingly. "What's done is done. There's no sense reminiscing on the past. Take from it and learn from it."

Glinda was silent for a moment. "Thank you, my friend."

"Always happy to be of help," Boq said.

"But now, I'm going to turn you back. And don't you dare say I should worry about more important things! You _are_ important!" Glinda said resolutely.

Boq smirked. "Actually I was going to ask 'How can I help?'"

Glinda smiled.

* * *

It took days of preparation, mostly because Glinda was constantly busy with more pressing matters. But Boq was patient and did whatever he could to help out. Glinda spent most of her nights and whatever downtime she had reading the Grimmerie cover to cover in hopes of finding a promising spell, but it was a very tedious job. Boq's notes were a great help, and he had become quite skilled at translating most of the symbols, but it still took a very long time just to read one page of the book. And about half-way through, she was beginning to feel frustrated.

"Boq, I can't find anything!" she groaned one day, about two weeks after the fight with Caramadje.

"Here, let me look," Boq offered, and she willingly handed him the old, dusty volume. He began skimming the pages, flipping through the rest of the book quickly, hardly pausing on a single page for more than a few seconds at a time.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"It's a very strange and unique talent I have," Boq said seriously. "It's called _reading_."

"That fast?!" Glinda exclaimed.

Boq laughed loudly. "Of course not! But have you ever heard of the phrase 'work smarter, not harder?'"

"Yes," Glinda said glumly.

"I'm just skimming the pages for any thing that might be remotely close to what we need," he said, never tearing his eyes from the book. He stood there in silence, his eyes darting across the leafs of paper feverently. He occassionally stopped on one page for a while but would always move on. Glinda turned her attention to some of the government documentation that still needed her approval. No doubt Boq would be at it for a while.

Even with Boq's advanced skill of translating symbols as fast as he could read, it still took him hours to completely decode the book. And he was still unsure if he was translating it correctly. He returned to Glinda with the bad news.

"I can't find anything in the Grimmerie that can reverse spells," he said sadly.

Glinda sighed miserably. "Morrible did say spells are irreversible. What if she was telling the truth? What if I can't change you back?"

Boq lowered his head. "I don't mind being like this."

"But I _do_," Glinda said.

Boq was silent for a moment, studying her with soft silver eyes. His jaw twisted up into a smile.

Glinda thought for a moment. "Can't we . . . make a spell?"

"You mean make it up?" Boq asked in a perplexed voice. "Well, I guess we can try . . . but it's going to be dangerous. I've never attempted something like this before."

"Neither have I," Glinda said, taking his arm. "But I know we can figure out a way!"

Boq grinned. "Ok, let's get to it!"

Glinda sat her self at the desk and Boq pulled out every note he had of the symbols. Glinda knew she had to go through everything thoroughly. First she needed to make a spell to transform Boq's tin body back into one made of flesh and bone, as well as restore his heart, since Nessa's spell destroyed it. It was a daunting task that took a solid week. Glinda would work for hours until she could barely stay awake due to exhaustion, and that's when Boq would step in and help out however he could. He read the spells in the Grimmerie over and over countless times to ensure the proper formatting and wording, as well as checking to make sure the words were all correct.

And then there was the casting of the spell itself. They needed the spell to work perfectly, so the pronounciation of every word and every syllable had to be flawless. Boq may be an expert at reading a foreign language, but he was still pretty up in the air about the correct pronounciation. Right now, educated guessing was their best bet. The spells were a mixture of all different languages, so Boq had that to go on, at least. Different words from different languages had their own unique accent, so Boq spent the majority of his nights researching the proper pronounciation of the words.

But after several long and stressful days, they conjured up a spell that would restore Boq to his rightful human body.

Glinda inhaled deeply. "Are you ready?"

Boq shrugged. "I am whenever you are."

Glinda looked over the spell over for probably the hundreth time before she cast her gaze back up at him. "Boq . . . if this doesn't work . . ."

"Shh, I know it will," Boq assured.

"No, listen to me," Glinda pleaded. "If this spell doesn't work . . . I want you to know that I love you."

Boq gripped her tightly and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Glinda, my lady . . . my love." He pulled away and took a few steps backwards, giving her a nod. He was ready.

Glinda took a deep breath, steadying herself for the spell. She rose her hands up in front of her and began to chant, the strange words flowing off her tongue smoothly and steadily. She felt strangely calm and composed while casting the spell, while she had every reason not to be. She felt her energy begin to lessen, being transmitted into magic that flowed in a steady stream of green light from her hands. The light surrounded Boq's body and seemingly swallowed him whole, leaving nothing but a silhouette of a man engulfed in the brilliant green light. Once Glinda finished chanting the spell, the light disappeared immediately, leaving both of them standing lone in the room, holding their breath.

But Boq was still in his tin form. Nothing had happened. Glinda's shoulders slumped to her side.

"Now what?" she muttered. "It didn't work!"

"Well, at least I'm not dead," Boq sighed, although it was all to easy to see he was just as disappointed as she was. "We can try again." He took a few steps forward and extended his hand. All the sudden, the tin began to peel like old paint, falling to the floor in large chunks an inch or so thick. Boq stopped and stared in horror at his arm as it literally turned to dust.

And underneath the tin was a human arm, with pink fleshy skin.

Glinda immediately jumped at him and started clawing off the tin that covered Boq's entire body. Boq also began ripping off the layer of metal. Soon Boq was standing before Glinda, completely human again, and wearing the same clothes as he had been while a servant for Nessa. A ring of tin pieces surrounded him. Boq looked down at himself and broke out into a huge grin.

"Glinda, you did it!" he cried. He lunged at her and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. Glinda embraced him in her arms and kissed him back feverently. The warmth of his skin, the touch of his lips on hers, it was so wonderful to finally feel him again! Boq pressed his body close to hers, longing to be with her, wanting to feel her more. Their kisses became deeper and more passionate as their love for one another reached breaking point.

"Marry me," Boq suddenly whispered.

Glinda pulled away in shock. "Are you serious?" she whispered.

"What?" Boq asked stupidly.

"You asked me to marry you!" she squealed.

"Oh sweet Oz, I said that out lout?!" Boq cried. His cheeks immediately turned bright red and he started fidgeting nervously. "Um, Glinda, my lady, I love you and I want to be with you, but I don't want to be too forward--"

"I do," Glinda whispered in his ear, and pulled him closer for another kiss.

Finally, everything was right in the world once again.


	14. Chapter 14

Glinda then began to prepare to return Tip to his former fleshy form. This time it seemed much easier since Glinda knew what she was doing and knew what to expect. It only took her a few days to cojure up a spell, with Boq's help of course. Glinda relished his physical presence ever so more, his warm hands, how his arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her in close to his own beating heart. Before his embraces had been so cold and painful, but she couldn't bear to tell him the truth; she knew it would ruin him. But it made his presence so much more rewarding, so much more satisfying. She was incredibly grateful for him, and she knew he was just as grateful to be back in his own body.

So it was about three or four days after Boq had been transformed back into a human that Glinda was ready with the spell for Tip. She instructed him to sit on her desk, and stood a few feet away, rereading her spell to make sure it was perfect.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Of course, my lady," he said. "Whenever you are."

Glinda nodded and took a deep breath. Boq was by her side for support. Glinda gripped his hand tightly and began to chant, the words flowing off her tongue smoothly and naturally. She felt her magic pour into the little Mouse, and she could see him suddenly burst into flames, but these flames were bright purple in color that gave off no heat or smoke. She watched in awe as the flames grew higher and higher until all at once the flames vanished, leaving a tiny brown-grey Mouse in the place Tip had once been. Glinda squealed with delight and scooped up the Mouse in her hands.

"It worked!" she cried.

"A thousand thanks, lady!" Tip said, nuzzling her cheek. "If there is anything I can do to repay you, anything, I'll do it!"

"Of course not, Tip, it was my pleasure!" Glinda said. "It was only the right thing to do after turning you in the first place."

Tip nodded, a huge grin on his face. "Well, I thank you once again."

Glinda was silent for a moment, thinking. "Actually, there is one thing . . ."

"Name it and it shall be done," Tip said.

"My friend, Fiyero . . . the scarecrow . . . I want to turn him back, too, but I don't know where I can find him," Glinda said slowly.

Tip thought long and hard. "The Emerald City is a very big place for a tiny Mouse such as myself . . . it will take quite some time to find him, but I will."

"Wait . . . he said . . . he said he will always be watching from the shadows . . ." Glinda said, her brows furrowing with concentration. "But what does that mean?"

There was a long silence, all three of them deep in thought. "It could mean anything," Boq said. "There's a thousand places in the city he could hide."

"No . . ." Ti said, his eyes going wide with a sudden revelation. "There's only one place in the entirety of the Emerald City where the sun never touches! It's a small building in the southeast section of the city! It was considered an engineering marvel that the entire building never saw a single ray of sunlight!"

"That must be it!" Glinda said. "Can you take me to it?"

"I'm coming with you," Boq said.

"No, Boq . . . I want to talk to him, alone. Please, try to understand," Glinda said gently.

Boq bit his lip, but nodded.

Tip took off down the Palace corridors, leading her outside. Glinda followed the Mouse as he weaved all throughout the city, down some busy streets, up a few alleys, making sudden turns and even looping back around a few time. Glinda quickened her steps to keep up with him. Despite his size, he was incredibly fast.

Soon they came upon a small one-story building, rather old and run-down looking, but it still shone with a sense of former-glory with its ntricate carvings on the sidings and ornate pillars. Glinda loked over it carefully. It was indeed engulfed in shadows; not a single ray of sun shone on it. The windows were broken and the roof was caving in, and most of the carvings on the pillarswere washed away to nothing. Glinda felt a pang of pity that such an exquisite building was slowly deteriorating away into dust.

"Well, this is it," Tip said.

"Let's go inside," Glinda said, stepping over the broken cobblestones and through the broken door frame. The inside was bare of any furnishings or decorations. All there was were dust and broken floorboards.

"Hello?" she called out nervously. "Anyone home?"

"I knew you'd figure it out," Fiyero's voice chuckled from the shadows.

Glinda sighed. "Well, you certainly know how to choose a dramatic setting."

"It suits my purposes well enough," he said. Glinda ould almost see him shrugging in his usual carefree matter. He stepped forward, where Glinda could see him. "I heard about your engagement to a Master Boq. Congratulations!"

Glinda blushed. "He . . . well, I love him."

He smiled widely. "And I am incredibly grateful and happy for both of you."

She smiled, her blush growing redder. "Yes, well . . . I found a spell to change you back! Fiyero, you can be human again! You see Tip? The straw Mouse? Well, he's normal again!" She scooped Tip up in her hands and showed him off to Fiyero. His eyes went wide for a moment. "You can be normal, too!"

Glinda could tell from his expression he was extremely tempted with her offer, and remained silent for a very long time, carefully thinking it over. Glinda patiently waited for his answer.

"Glinda, if I go through with this . . . I can never see you again," Fiyero finally said.

Glinda's smile falter and she could feel her spirits sink into the pit of her stomach. "But why?"

"I can't risk you being seen with a traitorous prince," Fiyero said calmly. "Even if you did change my appearance . . . I'm afraid it might not be enough."

Glinda lowered her head. "I thought maybe . . . you could start over . . ."

Fiyero cupped her face in his cloth hands and wiped away a stray tear trailing down Glinda's cheek. "I can't risk that. I'm not going to. I want to be human, but I can't risk your life for that. You understand."

"Of course I do," Glinda said softly. "But I'm going to miss you so much."

Fiyero gripped her gently, his straw-stuffed arms crackling gently as her body pressed against his. "I will, too."

"Did you ever love me?" Glinda asked suddenly.

"No . . . and yes. I loved you as a friend, but never as a lover. Never as much as I loved Elphaba. But I have always cared for you."

Glinda smiled. "She deserved someone like you, may her soul rest in peace."

"I miss her so much too," he said, his voice cracking suddenly. "It hasn't been easy . . . but I know she is so very proud of you and everything you've done."

"Thank you for that, Fiyero," she whispered. "And . . . well, are you ready?"

"Of course I am," Fiyero grinned.

Still in his embrace, Glinda began to chant the spell. The same purple fires began to spread u his legs and arms, swallowing his body whole. The fire did not harm GLinda, but she took a step away, her hands still holding Fiyero's. The fire surrounded his hands and his entire figure, but eventually it faded, revealing Fiyero, in his human form. Blond hair, deep blue eyes, tanned skin . . . it was him again!

She lunged at him, gripping hi tightly. "Oh, Fiyero! You're you again!"

Fiyero laughed, squeezing her harder. "You did it! Thank you so much! I'm so proud!"

Glinda stepped back, admiring his form. He looked just the same as he had just weeks ago before he turned into a scarecrow, although he still wore the same rugged green tunic and patched-up brown trousers he wore as a scarecrow.

Fiyero took a few steps backwards, back into the shadows. "Thank you so much, Glinda, my lady . . . but now, I must go. Good-bye, and take care. I know you'll do wonderful."

"Thank you, Fiyero," she said quietly, tears of joy falling from her eyes. And just like that, he was gone.

Glinda wiped away her tears, and with a contented heart, picked up Tip and started to walk back to the Palace.

"You're letting him go, just like that?" Tip asked.

"He must go his own way. I'm not one to say what he must do with his life. But I know, wherever he goes . . . he will be happy, and that's more than enough for me," Glinda said. "Now come, I know my wedding is still a ways away, but I want to get started right away! Do you want to be the Ring Bearer?"

* * *

Fiyero was alone. The endless grassy plains were the only thing for miles, the Emerald City far behind him. Losing all his senses, even for just a few weeks, gave him newfound gratitude for them. He enjoyed the scent of the sweet grass in his nostrils, the stems pressing against his legs, the wind through his hair . . . it felt so wonderful to be alive again!

He kept walking, casting his gaze up to the clouds. The white fluffy shapes casually glided through the sapphire sky. Fiyero smiled. He was like one of those clouds. Just drifting. Wherever the wind took him.

Except he wasn't as careless and carefree. Although he could be at times.

And now, the wind took him to a small shack carefully hidden in a grove of trees, easy to miss if you weren't looking for it. The shack was modest, but well-built and sturdy, and big enough to house his needs and much more.

He entered the cabin. "Fae . . . I'm back," he said.

His precious Elphaba, his beautiful Fae, was sitting in a chair nearby and waiting for him. She didn't seem surprised at all that he was now human instead of straw.

"Glinda's doing well, I see," she smirked.

"More than well," Fiyero said, pressing his lips on hers and sharing a deep and passionate kiss. "She's getting married."

"To Boq, yes, you told me," she teased, gripping his hair and pulling him in for another kiss. "Didn't I tell you the plan would work?"

"I have to be honest, I did have my doubts," Fiyero admitted.

"Oh, ye of little faith," Elphaba smiled. "I knew Glinda would believe I was dead."

"But you took a huge risk giving her your magic," Fiyero pointed out.

"I knew she'd be able to turn you back."

"That's being a little manipulative, don't you think?"

"Not at all," she shrugged. "Think of it as charity. I gave her my magic. She needs it more than I do. She simply did what anyone would do."

"I still think we could have helped her some more than what we did."

"And what, risk having hoards of angry villagers after our heads?" Elphaba said. "Fiyero, we both knew full well what we were getting into."

"I know, I just wish things could have turned out better," Fiyero sighed.

"What, you're complaining?" Elphaba said, not unkindly. "We have each other, Glinda's back in power, she is in love with Boq, and both of you are human again. Everything's as it should be."

"But I feel . . . we should have told her . . ."

"I couldn't risk that," Elphaba sighed. "I risked enough having just _you_ go out there. Nothing works out perfectly. But at least we're together. Isn't that enough?"

"Well, this is one thing I'm definitely not complaining about," Fiyero said, bending in for a kiss. "I love you more than anything, my Fae."

"And I you," she breathed as they kissed passionately.

**THE END**


End file.
